


A Satellite Heart Lost in the Dark

by KaibaSlaveGirl34



Series: River Phoenix [13]
Category: Stand By Me (1986)
Genre: Community: comment_fic, Drama, F/M, Family, Family Drama, High School, POV Female Character, POV First Person, Rumors, Slice of Life, Teen Pregnancy, Word Play, Wordcount: Over 10.000
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-01-01
Updated: 2015-02-13
Packaged: 2017-10-24 04:06:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 26,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/258819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaibaSlaveGirl34/pseuds/KaibaSlaveGirl34
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At 17 years old, Grace Donovan is on top of the world. She's head cheerleader, the president of Castle Rock High and has an athlete boyfriend. But, when an unexpected event turns her world upside down, she must face the reality of life and love. ChrisxOC</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Three Pink Pamphlets

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Harry2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harry2/gifts), [Idahophoenix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Idahophoenix/gifts).



> Here's a new Stand By Me story. It's called [A Satellite Heart Lost in the Dark](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782632/1/A_Satellite_Heart_Lost_in_the_Dark). [A friend of mine on FanFiction.Net](http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1484786/areyouforcereal) wrote it, and said I was more than welcome to post it here, too. :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace Donovan begins her story...

1,347.

This is the exact number of evenly distributed black dots placed upon the large, white ceiling tiles in the small room of the doctor's office.

Now, how would I know this you may ask? Well for the past hour I've been waiting patiently, for lack of a better word, for the doctor to come back with my recent test results and I've counted… three times.

Annoyed, I begin to kick my feet in a rhythmic pattern on the back of the seat which I'm sitting on. You know, because every mature seventeen-year-old does this when they're bored.

As if on cue, the tall, thin, perfect looking man in white saunters into the room. He smooths out his short, brown hair and without a care in the world smiles at me, flashing his big pearly whites.

Oh how I loathe him.

"Well, we got your test results back," he says in a low, sultry voice while leafing through a large stack of papers.

Suddenly, my kicking stops along with my heart. My already sweaty hands become even wetter with perspiration and I can feel my whole body begin to shake, causing the chair to do the same.

I breath in and out heavily attempting to somehow calm myself. Really, what's the worst that can happen? My life won't be over after finding out what's going on with me. So what if I've been feeling a little under the weather this past week? It's nothing big. I mean, it's not as if I'm _pregnant_ or anything…

"You're pregnant."

**_Fuck._ **

At least, that's what I shouted inside of my head. On the outside, I can't say anything. My entire speech vocabulary has been thrown out the window, along with my once happy and perfect life. I look to him worriedly, searching for an answer, any answer to my, now, big problem that I'll be carrying with me for the next nine months.

The doctor begins to write something down profusely on his clipboard. He looks up at me.

"Well, this is not good. Being a pregnant teen in this day and age is a very serious thing," he says, waving his right index finger at me while making a "tsking" sound.

I roll my eyes and have the urge to smack him right square in the jaw. Where did this guy go to medical school? Was it behind the dumpster outside of The Blue Point Diner? It's like he's giving me facts that I already know, but in a more professional way.

"There are, however, a few ways in which we can deal with this …" He says as he hands me three pink pamphlets dealing with teen pregnancy in the 1960's.

I take them and sigh nervously as I twirl my long brown hair between my fingers (a nervous habit I've had ever since I was a little girl). My big brown eyes search steadily around the small, bright white room. I can practically taste the churning bile at the pit of my stomach, slowly making its way to the top of my dry throat. My face is hot and my body, numb. I can't bear to hear this man speak anymore. I have to get out, now.

Suddenly, as if out of impulse, I quickly stuff the pamphlets on the top of my brown book bag, toss my long, grey coat over my shoulders and run out of the room.

The doctor calls out to me, "wait! Where are you going?"

"Anywhere but here!" I shout over my shoulders and run as fast as I can down the long narrow halls of the hospital.

I can feel the cool and crisp October air dance across my light skin as I push open the two wooden doors of Castle Rock Hospital. It feels so good to able to breathe again.

I glance around at the emptiness of the small town and start to walk in the direction of my home, which is on the other end of town; the wealthier part I might add.

The dead red and yellow leaves crunch under my feet as I walk. Thoughts are able to race through my mind now that I'm out of that stuffy doctor's office.

How did I, Grace Donovan, end up in this shitty situation? I mean, I'm student council president and head cheerleader for Christ sake! I'm the most popular girl in school. I've always gotten straight A's and not once have I ever drank, smoked or taken an ounce of drugs. I live in a very privileged and wealthy home with my parents, both of who are avid Christians. If they find out that I'm having sex with my boyfriend, they will surely disown me, no matter how much they love him or not.

What the fuck am I going to do?

As these thoughts process through my brain a sudden jolt in my shoulder knocks me to the ground; the contents in my bag spilling everywhere.

"Jesus! Would you watch where you're going?" I shout angrily while trying to gather my things together.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't looking." says a low, male voice.

I look up, squinting my eyes, and see a tall, thinly muscular teenage boy standing directly in front of me.

He bends down and holds out his hand, "here let me help you."

My eyebrows furrow together as I get a better look at his face, "Chris Chambers?"

His blues eyes sparkle in the sunlight and his pink lips curl into a grin, "Grace Donovan…you actually remember me? Well, don't I feel special?"

Chris Chambers. He is one of the hottest guys at Castle Rock High but also one of the biggest losers. His best friend is comic book genius Gordie Lachance, a typical target for bullies. However Chris is always the one to defend him. Don't ask me why, he just does. We used to be great pals back in the day but then I grew up, got boobs and became popular. I don't have time for Chris and his lame friends, so I ditched them.

I roll my eyes as he scratches his short, dirty blonde hair, "not now Chambers, I'm really not in the mood"

Still looking at me with those curious eyes of his he asks, "what's a girl like you doing in this part of Castle Rock? Shouldn't you be up with all of the other douchebags on the View?"

The View is what the wealthier part of Castle Rock is called and a lot of the poorer kids living here like to call us rich kids "douchebags". I mean, I don't know why, it's not our fault that our families have god jobs and can actually provide for their children unlike families like Chris'.

Chris' family is extremely poor, and by extremely poor I mean _"living with the sewer rats poor"_. His dad is known as the town's drunk and because of all his drinking, he lost his job which led to even more drinking and a regular beat down from him every single day. Chris' mother eventually fled the nest a couple of years ago and took his younger siblings with her. This left just Chris and his older brother "Eyeball" to look after themselves and fend off their angry father.

I sigh, "Well if you must know, I was here to do-"

But I stop mid sentence as I notice his hand reaching for the three pink pamphlets that the doctor handed to me earlier. The blood leaves my face and I sit there unable to move.

_Move Goddammit! Get those papers before he reads them and reveals to the whole school the next morning that you're knocked up!_

But I can't move. My expression turns to horror as he begins to read the papers, a confused look spreads across his face.

"Why do you have these papers on pregnancy?" he asks slowly.

_Think of something, quick!_

I stammer as excuses after excuses run through my head. A few seconds pass as I finally find the perfect one.

"It's for a school project that I'm doing…for school!" I say quickly.

_Nice one._

He looks at me suspiciously and without a word, I snatch the papers out of his hand and stuff them into my bag. I then get up quickly, as does he and bite my lip, hard. Standing only a few feet away from each other, I awkwardly smile at him while avoiding any major and direct eye contact.

"Well, bye!" I shout while waving my hand slightly in the air as I walk past him.

I clutch my bag to my chest and hike my black skirt up as I make my way home, the colour in my face starting to slowly make its way back.

However, it quickly leaves again as I notice that out of the three pamphlets that there was, I only have two in my bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice feedback is appreciated, of course. :)


	2. Home Sweet Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace tells of her home and her family life...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter of A Satellite Heart Lost in the Dark.

I breathe in a sigh of relief as I enter the warmness of my home.

Naturally, coming from a wealthy family, dad's the head of some large corporate company and mom inherited the money from her parents, I live in a pretty large home. It's a three story Victorian mansion to be exact. It's white with blue shutters surrounding each and every French window and has a large porch out on the front. The grass is always green, the pool out in the back is always clean, and there isn't a chip or tear on the bricks or wood. From the outside it looks like absolute perfection.

On the inside? It's exactly the same. As soon as you enter, the warming aroma of vanilla fills your nostrils. The white and beige walls are neatly organized with either my mom's favourite art or family photos. The floors are white marble which can show anyone's reflection perfectly they're so shiny. A large diamond encrusted chandelier hangs about twenty feet above the heads of everyone who enters through the front door. Just about the biggest black Baldwin piano stands against the wall at the bottom of the long, wide and white marble staircase, which leads up to the various rooms located on both the second and third floors. There's the workout room, the seven bathrooms, eight bedrooms, two art rooms and a hell of a lot more. In fact, if you ask for a specific room, we probably have it.

I quietly slip off my shoes, attempt to tiptoe up the stairs and to my room when I hear my mom call me from the dining hall.

"Grace? Honey? Is that you?" she asks in her sweet, mellow voice that can pull just about anyone in.

I sigh and call back to her, "Yes, mother, it's me."

"Can you come here for a moment? I need to speak to you," her voice echoes throughout the house.

I swallow the large lump in my throat and trudge forward. Did she know that I was pregnant? Did Chris call our house and tell her? Does he even have my number?

As I enter the dim dining hall I see my mother sitting quietly at the very end of the long table, hands folded, lips pursed and a very serious look on her face.

At the age of 35, my mother, Lillian Donovan, is definitely the most beautiful woman in Castle Rock. With a fair complexion, like mine, she has wonderful shoulder length burgundy hair that is always curled and never out of place. She has wide baby blue eyes and the perfect bone structure. Her lips are full and always bright red and her eyebrows are shaped with the perfect arch. She always knows how to apply the right amount of makeup to her face without looking like a clown, and her teeth can blind anyone they're so white.

And her body, don't even get me started on how great her body looks for her age. She has rock hard abs and a butt most women would kill for. I guess doing yoga, Pilates and running around trying to clean our entire house inch by inch everyday will do that for you.

Fun fact, she was a former top model at one point in her life.

That's actually how she and my dad met. At the tender age of 17, my mother was in France just becoming big in the modelling industry. At one of her shows she spotted my dad, who was 25 at the time, starring at her intently throughout the whole night. Finally, she went up and talked to him, and the next thing you know he proposes, only after a month of dating, they get married and a year later, I came along.

After she got pregnant with me, she was forced to give up her dreams of living the life of a supermodel. I think she resents me for it. That's why our relationship has never been so close. You know, like it was my fault that her big plans were squashed.

I smile nervously and sit down in the seat next to her.

"So…how are things?" I ask politely.

She glares at me and sighs, "I am very disappointed, Grace."

 _Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! She knows that I'm pregnant! The doctor totally phoned and told her everything!_

I flinch a little and bite my lip, "why?"

She sighs again and places her hand in her pocket, "because…."

My heart stops and my eyes go wide as she fumbles to get whatever it is out from her pocket.

Was it a note from the doctor?

All of a sudden she places a shiny, gold cross on top of the freshly waxed dining room table.

I slouch forward, sighing in relief, "My cross…."

"Yes, your cross. The one which you are supposed to be wearing right now. The one that I found lying on your bedroom floor this morning as I was vacuuming."

I hate the way she stresses certain words. I feel like she's talking to me like I'm an idiot.

I take the necklace off of the table and put it around my neck. My mother still looks upset, like she's about to cry or something.

"Now, why wasn't it around your neck like it should've been."

I shrug and don't say a word.

She squeezes her hand on my shoulder, like she always does when she's about to give me a lecture, and looks at me intently with her baby blues.

"Honey, Jesus died for us on that cross," she says tapping the tiny golden statue on my chest. "And by you taking it off and throwing it on the ground like it is nothing is pure blasphemy."

Oh, did I mention that my parents are Christians? Well, my mom is more so then my dad. She's a devout Christian who loves to preach the Good Word. She is convinced that everyone must follow the teachings in the Bible, or everyone is going to hell. She's kind of crazy when it comes to God and religion.

Which is weird because she wasn't raised a Christian. Her parents were actually Atheists. She didn't really become a Christian until after she married my father. Then she went all Jesus crazy.

You know, sometimes I think the reason she did all of this is because she's really unhappy and the only way to shield people and herself especially from the truth, is through God.

"So, do you want to tell my why your cross was on the ground and not on your neck?"

I twiddle my thumbs and think for a moment. I mean, she could not know that I took it off the night I had sex with my boyfriend, which ended up in me getting pregnant.

Hell no.

So, I say the first excuse that I can think of. It's not that great, but it is passable.

"Well, I took it off before bed last night and I forgot to put it on again this morning. It must have fallen off of my nightstand when I was leaving for school or something…"

She shakes her head, "Don't let it happen again."

I nod and get up from the table.

Just as I'm about to make a dash for my room, I turn to her, "I'm going to lie down right now so I won't be down for dinner."

Her jaw drops in shock, "Oh? So I'm eating alone tonight then?"

"I'm sorry, Mom. I'm just really tired and I have a lot of homework and I'm really not that hungry."

She sighs and waves me off, "Well, all right then. I'll just eat alone. Do you want me to save you some?"

I nod, "yeah, a plate would be nice. Thanks!"

I then turn and run up to my room, slamming the door behind me.

"Alone at last…" I smile and look around at the many posters of Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, Judy Garland and especially James Dean, which cover most of the soft pink walls surrounding my room.

I walk over to the large oak dresser filled with most of my makeup/hair products and lightly toss my book bag on top of the white and fluffy duvet that lays across my King size canopy bed.

I shake my head as I see the gold cross dangling from my neck. Just looking at it makes me feel uncomfortable. It's feels likes it's burning a large hole right through my chest.

I quickly rip it off and lock it in the safety of my jewellery box.

I look down and feel my stomach. Somehow, it just doesn't feel appropriate to be wearing a symbol of God and pureness in my state of being.

I walk over to my bed and fall back on it, letting the covers engulf my body.

 _Hmmm… this is actually kind of comfy…_

I snuggle my body to find the perfect position and let my eyes slowly drift off into the darkness.

 _  
**"GRACE! GRACE!"**   
_

My eyes shoot open at the yelling of my name, and I jump up out of my bed.

I quickly rub my eyes, makeup smearing onto my hands, and throw open my door to see my mother standing there. Boy, does she look angry.

"Grace, I've been shouting to you for five minutes straight." she says sternly.

I yawn, "Mom, I told you earlier that I was going to lie down and nap."

She rolls her eyes, "well still…the phone's for you."

I nod, "okay, thanks."

I then close the door and go over to my nightstand beside my bed, where my pale pink phone sits.

I pick it up, "Hello?"

A low, rough voice answers on the other end, "Babe?"

"Richard!" I say while trying to sound surprised.

Richard Jenkins, the quarterback and captain of Castle Rock High's varsity football team. With luscious blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, he's the guy every girl wants and every guy wants to be. He's lean but buff and okay, he may not be the brightest bulb in the box, but he's really REALLY hot!

We met in the ninth grade and since he was the hottest and most popular guy and I was the hottest and most popular girl at school, we decided that dating was the right thing to do.

But, truth be told, for the four years that we've been dating and as happy as we look on the outside, on the inside, I've actually never really felt any chemistry when we're together. When I'm with him, I don't feel butterflies in my stomach or lovesick or whatever they call it in the movies. I feel odd, and not in a good way. I feel like something is missing and it has been really evident in my mind for a long time.

That's why I finally gave into his desires last week and had sex with him for the first time. And let me tell you, it was TERRIBLE. It was nothing like how it is in the movies or my friend, Rachel's, romance novels. It was weird, uncomfortable and it hurt like hell. In fact, I didn't even know what was going on until like two seconds in, and then after that it was just over.

Anyway, I don't know how I'm going to tell Richard that I'm pregnant and that he's the father, but I have to tell him now, or I never will.

His deep, jagged voice drones on, "so, what's the plan for tonight? Did you wanna go to Lover's Lane and create some more magic like last week?"

There isn't an actual place called Lover's Lane in Castle Rock. It's actually just a small, cliff up a hill that overlooks the town. I'm not too sure why Richard calls it Lover's Lane, but he does.

I hesitate, "Um about that…listen, I have to tell you something…"

"What is it, babe?" he asks carelessly.

I take a deep breath in and sighed.

 _Here goes nothing…_

"I'm pre-"

But I'm interrupted as I hear Richard scream into the phone, "What the fuck are you doing? Get out of my room, you little shit!"

My eyes widen as I listen to the commotion on Richard's end.

Finally after a minute of yelling and grunting, Richard finally gets back on the phone.

"Jesus Christ! I'm sorry about that; my little brother is so annoying. He makes me realize how much I hate kids and how much I do not want them!"

My heart drops to the pit of my stomach and for a moment, I can't say anything. How am I supposed to tell a boy who loathes kids and doesn't want any, that he is going to be a father? I hate my life.

I gulp and laugh uneasily.

He laughs too, "So what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

My throat becomes dry and my head, once again, runs through excuse after excuse to tell him something other than the truth.

I stammer, "W-well, I w-wanted to tell you that…I can't make it tonight."

Shock fills his voice, "What? Why not?"

"I'm just not feeling up to it. Maybe… some other time?"

He sighs in annoyance, "Yeah, whatever."

The phone goes dead.

I clench my teeth and put the receiver down. Tired, I jump on my bed and stare at the ceiling until my eyes close and I drift, once again, off to sleep.

My eyes pop open as I hear the sound of a revving engine just outside my window.

Annoyed, I look to the clock on my nightstand.

"What the hell is going on? It's practically midnight."

I quietly get up, put on my silk bathrobe and go to see what all of the commotion is about.

However, I stop just before the top of the stairs to see my father clumsily walk in through the front door and slam it behind him.

Tom Donovan is the head of a very large corporate company. He works in Portland, Oregon, because there aren't enough people to run his business here. He makes thousands of dollars every week and knows how to take care of his family.

At forty three, my father doesn't look a day over twenty. He is a very handsome man with a long chiselled jaw and big brown, puppy dog eyes. He's charming and intelligent and can sweep a woman right off her feet. That's how he landed my mom.

I examine him carefully as he walks over to check his reflection out in the mirror.

He pats his dark, ruffled hair down, inspects his brown and grey stubble of a beard, and wipes the red blotchy lipstick off of his neck and face.

He's been at one of his late night "meetings".

At least, that's what he tells my mother. In reality, he gets together with his secretary or some floozy he meets in town and rents a suite at a hotel.

He does this so rumors of his adultery won't spread around and ruin his reputation of a loving father and husband.

Which, he is, at least the father part anyway. My dad and I have a great relationship. Although I know about his affairs, which he doesn't know, I still love him to death and wouldn't trade him for the world.

He and my mother, on the other hand, don't really show any affection towards each other. They don't hug, kiss, hold hands, anything. Which, I thought was pretty normal because, really, who wants to see their parents kiss? Gross. That is until, I found out about my dad and his affairs.

It was late one night, a couple of years ago, when I saw him come home from work. I quietly got out of bed and raced downstairs to greet him at the door. When I got downstairs and he still wasn't inside, I went over to the window in the living room, and caught him and his secretary making out just outside of the front door.

Luckily, my mother was asleep. I can't imagine what she would've done if she had caught them. Certainly nothing a Christian would do.

Me? I kind of just shrugged it off and went back to bed. I don't know why I reacted this way but all I knew is that my dad was happy. In fact, he hadn't been that happy in years. Sure, it bothers me sometimes, but until the day he runs off with one of his bimbos, I'll continue to act like it's nothing.

I smile softly as I hear my dad whistling the theme to "I Love Lucy" and see him cover up the scent with water from the vase of the woman he was just with.

As he makes his way up the stairs I jump up from where I was sitting and book it to my bedroom. I then jump into bed and pretend to be asleep.

My dad quietly comes into my room and walks over to me. He kisses the top of my head and whispers, "Goodnight, princess."

"Goodnight, daddy," I whisper back as he closes the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is appreciated, of course, so I can add more chapters. :)


	3. Pink Salmon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace introduces her friends, and something else happens...

**_ONE MONTH LATER_ **

"Grace? Honey? Are you okay in there?"

I try to answer the muffled voice of my mother, but all that comes out of my mouth is the carton of chocolate ice cream that I snuck last night at three in the morning.

This is great! I've only been secretly pregnant for a month now and already I'm having morning sickness and cravings.

**_Thank God I'm not showing yet._ **

Usually, my morning sickness doesn't last too long, but when it's here, boy, is it terrible. I can't even look at food without running for the bathroom.

As soon as the last of the bile is purged out of my throat, I lift one of my thin and shaky arms to flush the foul remains down the toilet.

I groan, wipe my mouth of vomit and place a hot cheek on the cold, shiny toilet seat.

My mother keeps knocking, "Grace? Grace, answer me! Are you alright?"

Ugh! Can't anyone just leave a pregnant girl alone anymore?

Slowly, I place my hands on the toilet seat and weakly get up. Standing on both of my wobbly legs, I trudge towards the voice.

A look of horror sweeps across my mother's face as I swing open the bathroom door.

"Honey, what's wrong? You look absolutely dreadful…"

I smile sarcastically, "thanks."

Her cool hand feels my forehead, "are you feeling all right?"

I nod, "yeah mom I'm fine. I'm just not feeling all that great…"

Her eyes widen, "you don't have some sort of virus do you?"

I stare at her suspiciously, "no…why?"

"Well, for the past couple of days now, every morning I've heard you throwing up in the bathroom. I thought that maybe you had some sort of stomach virus."

I guess that's what you could call it.

I shake my head, "no mom, I just haven't been feeling all that great recently. I assure you it's nothing."

She nods in relief, "alright."

I smile and watch her disappear down the hall. I then turn around and see my reflection in the mirror.

"Yikes!" I whisper to myself.

My hair is all ratty and tangled, my mouth is cracked and white, my face is as pale as a ghost, and my eyes have huge, black bags under them.

Quickly, I turn the hot water on in the bathtub and jump in while letting the steam soak into my pores.

* * *

"OH MY GOD!" squeal the three blonde girls who are all dawned in bright pink, and sitting directly across from me.

It's the morning before first period and there are four of us are sitting at a small, circular table at the back of the library.

Rachel, Taylor, and Brittany are my best friends in the entire world. We're like the four amigos and together, we rule the school.

Brittany stops shrieking for a minute and widens her large green eyes at me.

"Wait…why we're we so happy again?" she asks while looking as confused as ever.

Like Richard, Brittany isn't the smartest. She's convinced that China is the capital of Canada. She's failed almost every class she's ever been in since the first grade. In fact, the only reason she's made it this far is because of her father's money. He actually had to pay her teachers to give her passing grades. She better pray to God that her looks don't fade or I don't know how she is going to get by in life.

Taylor rolls her small, blue eyes and flicks back her long, curly blonde hair.

"Brit, we're happy because Brad Smith, the co captain of the football team and second hottest guy, next to Richard of course, has asked our very own Rachel Harvey out!"

Taylor Stewart is by far, one of the smartest students at Castle Rock High. Unlike Brittany, she's gotten straight A's in every class she's ever had since she started school. In fact, by the time she was three, she had written her very own best selling children's book. I read it a couple of years ago and it's actually pretty good. It's all about the dangers of daycare and how it can trigger an emotional imbalance in the brain of a child, which, in time, can ultimately lead to self destructive behaviour. The book is cleverly called "Dangerous Daycares!"

Taylor can have any boy she wants, but chooses not to date due to her groundbreaking study about the Immaturity of Boys. Although, we all know that's not the case. Her parents are really strict and they won't let her date anyone until she's at least eighteen.

Rachel smiles showing her large straight white teeth and runs her freshly manicured fingers through her stick straight hair.

"Well, it was bound to happen. Since I am the second hottest girl in school, next to Grace, it is only plausible that I date the second hottest guy in school."

Rachel Harvey is my best friend in the entire world. We do almost everything together; we're like sisters!  
She is the co-captain of the cheerleading team and the vice president of Castle Rock High. She's my right wing woman and I don't know what I would do without her.

Unlike Taylor and Brittany, I met Rachel before High School, when we were 7 years old and attending the same babysitter. We instantly clicked from the moment we met, we were both wearing the same 40 carat diamond necklaces. Ever since then, we've been attached at the hip.

I can tell Rachel anything and for her, vice versa. All of our secrets and problems about boys, family, school, you name it!

Back in the fifth grade we made each other special friendship bracelets to remind ourselves that no matter what happens, we would always be there for each other and we would always be best friends. I have never taken mine off and neither has she.

The blonde haired, hazel eyed girl turns to me, battering her long eyelashes, "so…how are things with Richard?" she askd.

I smile faintly and smudge my pink lip gloss together on my lips, "fine."

She cocks an eyebrow at me, "really? Just fine? Cause you know…Brad said Richard was talking about you two in the boys' change room the other day…"

"He what?" I ask flatly.

She nods, "yeah, Brad told me that Richard told him that you two have been _knockin' boots_." She lowers her voice to a whisper as she says the last two words.

Taylor puts down the thick book that she's reading, "Oh Rachel, don't be so naïve. If the two of them have been, having sex, then she obviously would have told us about it. I mean, we are her best friends." Her eyes look at me accusingly, "right?"

I gulp and smile as innocently as I can, "well…"

Both Taylor and Rachel's mouth's drop open in surprise.

"Oh my god!" shouts Rachel. "You're telling me that you two are doing each other and you haven't even told you're best friends about it?"

Taylor has hurt expression on her face, "I am both shocked and upset at you, Grace!"

Brittany looks up from whatever it was that she is doing and gasps.

"YOU TWO ARE HAVING SE-"

All three of our eyes widen and as Rachel and I scream at her to shut up, Taylor covers her mouth with her hands.

I look around and see that the whole library had heard most of what Brittany has said. Each and every one of the students' eyes are on our table.

Including Chris Chambers'.

His ocean blue eyes are glued on me as his mouth is sculpted into a large smirk.

I raise my eyebrows at him and give him my best glare. But, even that can't wipe the grin off of his face.

I sigh and clench my teeth together.

Just then Rachel moves her hand in front of my face to get my attention.

"Hello? Grace? Earth to Grace Donovan…"

I latch off of my gaze with Chris and look back at Rachel. A suspicious look has swept over her face.

"Who are you looking at?" she asks while peering around the room.

"No one!" I quickly say.

But before I can get her away from the subject, she spots Chris looking at our table. A disgusted look creeps over her face.

She whispers, "Why is that loser looking over at our table?"

Taylor looks behind her and sees Chris' eyes on mine. She smiles.

"I don't think he's looking at us. I think he's looking at Grace…"

Rachel rolls her eyes, "Ugh, he's so creepy. Him and his gay friend -- Georgie, is it?"

Taylor corrects her. "It's Gordie, actually. He's in all of my pre-advanced classes."

"Whatever, he's still creepy." Rachel shivers.

Just then, a sly smile grows on Rachel's face; as if a light bulb had turned on in her head.

She leans in towards the table, "watch this!"

I looked at her in concern, "Rachel, what are you doing?"

She stands up, her skirt flowing down her legs and shouts over the room at the boys.

"Hey, loser! Why don't you take a picture, it'll last longer!"

She pauses and then smiles, "oh…that's right! You're so poor that you can't even afford a camera."

The whole library bursts into laughter as Rachel sits back down, a smile of victory glued onto her face.

As the room dies down, I whisper to her, "Rachel, why do you have to be such a bitch sometimes?"

She giggles, "because it's fun!"

As I put up my finger to protest, all of a sudden my stomach makes a loud rumbling noise.

"What the hell was that?" asks Taylor.

"Was it an earthquake?" Brittany says while shaking.

"No Brittany, it was just my stomach. I didn't have time to eat breakfast this morning." I say annoyed.

She perks up, "Oh! You can totally have some of my breakfast!" She reaches into her purse and takes out a large plastic container.

"What is it?" I ask slowly.

"Pink salmon. I know it's your favourite!" she says cheerfully.

My stomach begins to churn at the word Salmon. So far, meat, and especially seafood, hasn't at all agreed with this baby for the past month. Which is a real shame, because Brittany is right. Pink salmon is my favourite.

I shake my head, "that's really okay. I'll just wait till lunch."

She opens the lid and pushes it forward, "I insist!"

I look down at the pink meat. The rancid smell fills my nostrils causing the bile from my stomach to rise up into my throat. I begin to gag as I try to push the container away from me.

The three girls look at me, concern spreads across their faces.

"Are you alright?" asks Rachel.

"Yeah, you look a little green," agrees Taylor.

"Ew…" says Brittany.

But before I can answer any of them, it's too late. I clamp one hand over my mouth, get up, knocking my chair over, and sprint for the girls' washroom.

As I pass Chris' table, I swear, out of the corner of my eye, I can see him laughing.

After a while of regurgitating, I stumble out of the washroom and pop a few breath mints into my mouth.

Instead of going back to the library to face utter humiliation from my peers, I head to my locker.

I open it and begin to rummage through some of the mess to try and find my first period math book.

Just then a familiar voice comes up from behind me, "hi."

I jump, startled, and turn around to face the person.

I glare as I see who it is, "stalk me much?" I ask unimpressed.

Chris rolls his eyes and leans up against the locker beside mine.

"I'm not stalking you. I actually came to see if you were all right. You know, what your friends are doing by sitting on their asses in the library."

I look down with guilt seeping through my pores, "about my friends…I'm sorry Rachel was such a bitch to you. I didn't know she was going to say something like that."

He laughs. "It's okay, I know how to take a horrible insult. My old man slurs them at me almost every day. Besides, this isn't the first time you and your little minions have called me out on my income status."

I sigh and look around to see if anyone is watching us, "what do you want Chambers?"

Chris opens his bag and produces a crumpled pink pamphlet. He holds it up for me to see.

My heart falls into my stomach, but I smile as fake as I can.

"You seemed to have dropped this the last time we ran into each other, remember?"

I look him dead in his face and shrug nonchalantly, "yeah, so?"

He looks into my eyes, trying to find answers, "you wanna tell me why you had it?"

Not giving into his game I reply seriously, "I already told you, it was for a school project."

He shakes his head, moving his face closer to mine, our lips almost touching, "that's a bunch of crap and you know it."

His sweet scent wafts into my nostrils and my heart begins to race as I stare deeply into his eyes. It's like I'm in some sort of trance.

Quickly I shake off his essence and push him away, "well, it's the truth."

He smirks, "it is not. I know you Grace. If you haven't forgotten we were best friends for years. I know when you're lying."

"Oh, really?" I ask curious yet stunned as to how he remembers.

"Yes. Your nostrils flare when you lie. Which is what they're doing right now."

I swiftly put my hand over my nose, covering it.

Chris smiles but then turns serious, "look, if you're pregnant I promise I won't say anything." He practically mouths the word pregnant.

I slam my locker shut and turn to him, "Listen bud, I am NOT pregnant! So please, just take your cynical attitude and shove it up your poor ass!"

I angrily push past him and head to math class, but he follows me.

All of a sudden I feel a hand on my shoulder yank me backwards, spinning me around.

Chris' face is beet red, he's angry and he wants a fight.

"Yes, I may be cynical sometimes, but at least I'm not some rich, narcissistic little bitch!"

My blood is boiling at the sound of his words.

_You want a fight? Fine, I'll give you one!_

"How dare you! Just because I have more money and dignity in my little pinkie than you and your entire lowlife family does…."

"Ha! You may have more money than I do but dignity? Honey, I think not! You get your daddy to reach into his wallet for your every whim and desire!"

This statement makes me really angry, and without thinking, I shout, "WELL AT LEAST MY DADDY ISN"T AN ALCOHOLIC WHO BEATS HIS OWN CHILDREN!"

Chris falls silent. I hit a nerve. But instead of being proud, I feel horrible.

I look to him for some response. Instead I get nothing.

I look around and notice a flock of students gathered around to see our little argument. Half of them are sniggering; the other half have their mouths open in disbelief.

Finally after a few moments of silence, I speak, "Chris…I'm sor-"

But he puts up his hand and stops me. He then turns around and walks down the hall.

I look down at the ground and hear the bell screech in my ears. The students around me turn and head for their morning classes.

As I make my way to math, I can't help but think about Chris' face. How his eyes, filled with so much anger instantly turned into big pools of sadness as I commented about his father.

As if I didn't already feel shitty this morning, I certainly feel shitty right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice feedback is very much appreciated... :)


	4. Rude Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace sees what her boyfriend Richard really is...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're liking this story as much as I do myself. :)

**_"Bring!"_ **

I smile with joy as the bell for lunch rings.

I don't care what anyone says. I will NEVER EVER need math or biology in my life. Like really, when the hell am I ever going to need to know the hypotenuse of a triangle? Or the reproductive organs of a daisy?

I spring from my seat and race to my locker, hoping to avoid the rush of students eagerly making their way towards the cafeteria.

As I put my morning books neatly in my locker I feel two large arms enclose around my waist and pull me back.

I shriek and turn to face the intruder.

"Richard, you asshole!" I say and slap his shoulder.

His blue eyes sparkle as a wide grin spreads across his face. He then leans in and kisses me.

I try to kiss him back as passionately and lovingly as I can. I wrap my long, slender arms around his neck and let my fingers feel their way through his thick blonde hair.

After about a minute without air, I push him away and falsely smiled.

"I heard about your little fight with that Chambers guy."

"Yeah, I think the whole school's heard by now…" I say sadly.

"Hey, don't worry about it! That kid and his friends are losers." he says happily.

I bite my lip and look down.

"So, what are we doing tonight, babe?" he asks while nudging my arm.

I close my locker and the two of us then begin making our way down the relatively empty hallway.

I sigh, "um… what did you have in mind?"

He shrugs his broad shoulders, "I don't know."

He's not much of a conversationalist.

I look around, "we could watch a movie at my place?"

He shakes his head, "nah, we always do that. How about we go over to my place and…" He looks at me suggestively.

I purse my lips and my heart skips a beat, "definitely not."

A hurt expression crosses his face and he begins to whine, "but babe…why not? We haven't done it in like a month!"

_Yeah, and I ended up pregnant the last time we did do it!_

I roll my eyes, "I'm just not in the mood tonight, okay?"

He sighs in defeat, "fine."

Just then I stop. It's now or never to tell him about the baby.

I gulp and take a deep breath in, "I have to tell you something."

He looks at me uninterested, "what?"

I hesitate, "I don't know how you're going to feel about this. I'm not even sure how I feel about it but…"

He stops me, "are you breaking up with me?"

I look at him in shock, "what? No, just listen. I'm pre-"

**"RICHAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD!"**

We both twirl to where the shouting is coming from and see a bunch of Neanderthals, also known as football players, come bounding towards Richard.

One of them grabs him by the neck and ruffles up his hair.

I just stand there and stare with a very annoyed look on my face.

One of the boys with longish brown hair speaks, "Rich, are we going to go and get some grub or what?"

"Yeah," a shorter one of them agrees, "or are you two lovebirds busy making some plans for tonight?"

The group of boys howl with laughter.

I shake my head, clenching my fists in anger. I then turn around and walk away from the group.

Richard catches up with me; grabbing my arm, "babe, what's wrong?"

I glare at him, tears forming in my eyes, "what's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG?"

He backs away a bit with a scared look in his eyes.

"You told the whole football team about our sex life is what's wrong!"

"Babe, I'm the captain of the team and the most popular guy in school. If the guys knew that I wasn't having sex with my girlfriend of four years, then my rep would be ruined! Do you want that for me?"

My mouth gapes open; did he really just say that?

"Are you fucking kidding me? Richard, you are telling people, especially those people, about our private information!"

He snorts, "I still don't see the big deal."

I groan, and rub my forehead, "I cannot believe this!"

Frustrated, he grabs my arm; he squeezes it tight, "why are you being such a cunt right now?"

My eyes widen in utter horror at what he's just said to me, and I rip my arm away from his large, thick hands.

"Fuck you!" I whisper.

Without another word, I storm down the hall and into the cafeteria to find my friends.

* * *

"What a dick!" comments Rachel as I finish my long story about what went down with Richard in the hallway.

"Well, his name is Richard, and a typical nickname for said name is Dick," observes Taylor as she cuts her hotdog into tiny pieces.

Rachel glares at her, "shut up Taylor."

The girl's face turns red, "sorry, I was just stating a fact."

"Well, I'm just glad Brad isn't like that." she says proudly.

Oh yeah, Rachel and Brad are officially a couple after a month of dating.

_At least there's one couple in this school that isn't completely and utterly fucked for life._

The table is silent for a few moments and the only sound that is made is from the hustle and bustle of students eating their lunches.

For only a hundred and fifty teenagers in this school, they sure can make a lot of noise.

Finally Rachel starts talking again, "So, are you guys like, over?"

I sigh, "No, but is it weird that I want things to be?"

The three girls look at me curiously, "what do you mean Grace?" Brittany asks.

I shrug, "I don't know. I guess for a while now I just feel like that 'spark' that we once had isn't there anymore."

Taylor perks up, "is this because of you two having sex? Was it really bad? Because you know, I read that 90% of all couples who've experienced really bad sex break up."

_Well, I guess you could say that's partly why…_

I shake my head.

Rachel raises an eyebrow and cocks her head, "really? Are you gonna dump him?"

"I don't know. I just think that right now, I shouldn't."

"Why not?" asks Rachel leaning in close, mesmerized by every word flowing from my mouth.

**_Because I'm pregnant with his child._ **

"I'm just gonna let things play out, you know? Before I do anything drastic. Maybe things will change soon."

The three girls nod in agreement and go back to eating their lunches.

I sit there, food untouched and a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.

**_I sincerely hope that things change for the good. I really do._ **


	5. The Boys Locker Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace breaks up with Richard after finding him with her friend Brittany, and then tells Chris later on...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After breaking up with her boyfriend because of him cheating on her, Grace then confesses everything to Chris...

**_THREE WEEKS LATER_ **

Nothing has changed.

It's been three weeks since Richard and I got into a fight and nothing has changed.

I mean, sure he apologized and we made up but, my feelings about him haven't gotten any better at all. What the fuck am I supposed to do? I can't break up with him because I'm almost two months pregnant and he still doesn't even know about it!

This is one of those few times where I feel like crawling into a hole in the ground and lying there for all eternity.

As I sit there picking through my salad I look to both Taylor and Rachel, "where's Brittany?"

Taylor looks up from her book, "I don't exactly know. All I remember her telling me was that she had to do a project for English."

I raise my eyebrows, "Brittany, doing school work?"

The three of us laugh but then Rachel turns serious, "so, how are things with Richard?"

I lie, "fine" I say flatly.

She smiles, "liar! Things suck and you know it."

I sigh, "I know but, what am I supposed to do? There is so much going on right now and I really need him. But, I just don't think things are going to work out between us and that really scares me."

Taylor pats my back, "why don't you just talk to the boy? I'm sure he'll understand."

Rachel nods in agreement, "yeah! I mean, Brad told me that he said that you two were having troubles."

Taylor shrugs, " I think that you two should just sit down and have a long talk. It could do you both some good."

I look down. Taylor does have a point. Maybe, just maybe if I told him about the baby then things will get better. Maybe he'll smarten up and that "spark", that was once there, will somehow return.

I stand up, "I have to go and find Richard."

"I didn't mean talk to him right now!" says Taylor.

"The sooner the better." I beam.

I then turn and head for the hall, but come to sudden halt as my body crashes into somebody else.

I look up and instantly recognized the ocean blue eyes looking down at me.

My heart stops. Chris hasn't talked or even looked at me since our little dispute in the hallway three weeks ago.

I smile politely and take in his sweet scent, "sorry, Chris."

"Yeah, yeah." He mumbles and walks away towards his own lunch table.

I shake my head dizzily and leave to find Richard.

I make my way through the halls, first going to his locker and then out to the football field. He isn't anywhere.

Finally I find Brad with a bunch of his minions, who is busy giving some small ninth-grader an atomic wedgie.

I tap him lightly on the shoulder hoping that he doesn't mistake me for another one of his victims.

He turns with his green eyes shining in the light, "Grace! Hey! How's it going?"

I smile at him, "Hey Brad! Look, I was just wondering where my boyfriend is?"

"Richard? He told me he was going to be in the locker room working on some plays."

"Thanks!" I say and turn around.

As I walk away, I can hear the scared cries from the young victim as the football team tortures him some more.

My heart begins thudding loudly as I see the sign: Boys Locker Room, on the large blue door by the gymnasium.

_**Am I able to do this? What if he freaks out and does something drastic? Or, what if he is totally awesome about the whole thing and is really supportive?** _

I smile and keep telling myself all of the positive points as I slowly push open the door and walk down the long, smelly hallway.

As I near the ending of the hallway, I can hear weird noises coming from the brightly lit opening of the locker room.

**_Is there someone else in here with Richard? If there is, why are they groaning and giggling?_ **

Being as stealthy as I can, I round the corner and press myself up against some lockers. I then peer into the open space of benches.

All of the blood leaves my face, my throat goes dry and my heart bursts in sadness.

There, in the middle of the locker room is Richard and Brittany, half naked and all over each other.

It's like a speeding car has just hit me. However, I can't cry or say anything. No words or emotions are escaping my mouth. All I can do is just stand there and watch. Watch them grope each other while kissing and moaning.

Finally I gasp, and the two look up from their session and spot me.

A range of emotions goes back and forth between the two.

First, shock, then confusion, and then guilt.

Richard is the first to speak, "Grace, it's not what it looks like!"

I put up my hand to stop him, "Save it! I know exactly what it looks like!"

The two get off of each other and begin putting their clothes back on.

"Grace, I am so, so sorry! I didn't kno-" cries Brittany as she adjusts her bra straps.

"Oh shut up Brittany! You know, I expected this from someone else, but not you. Not my best friend."

Her large green eyes well up with tears and I look back to Richard.

"Consider us DONE! Forever…" I say nearly choking out the last word.

Betrayed, I begin to run. I run away from them, from my friends, from the school. I try and run away from life.

Finally I stop on a grassy knoll by a large oak tree just outside of the school doors.

Anger and pain sweep through my entire body as I sit against the tree sobbing. I want to hurt somebody, to make someone feel the exact same pain that I'm going through now.

How could he do this to me? To us? Sure, things haven't going that well in our relationship, but I was willing to help change it for the better. Lord knows if I'm ever going to tell him about the baby now.

Ugh, and the baby, the baby! What's going to happen to he or she? I can't possibly do this alone!

I look down at my belly and rub it. "What the hell am I going to do?"

I then close my eyes and let the tears flow freely from them. Although I stop and open them as I hear someone coming towards me.

"Are you okay?"

I sigh, "You're talking to me now, Chris?"

He raises his eyebrows at me, "that depends…"

I bite my lip and wipe my tears away. I can't let him, of all people, see me like this.

He motions to a spot beside me, "can I… sit down?"

I nod and watch him awkwardly sit down on the grass beside me. He then leans his back up against the tree and faces me.

"You wanna tell me what's going on?"

I sigh, and, like a volcano erupting, I proceed to let everything out. I can't hold any more secrets inside of me. Surely, I'll go explode if I do.

I begin. "Well, my mom is insane; my dad is having affairs with many different women, I just caught my long-time boyfriend and my best friend practically having sex in the boys' locker room…"

He puts up both of his hands to stop me, "Whoa! Whoa! That's… pretty shitty."

I laugh a little, "and you want to know the worst part?"

He's silent.

I hesitate for a moment, but then finally admit it, "…I'm pregnant."

His eyes widen and his whole body goes stiff. He is in just as much shock as I am that I had just said those words.

"So, you win. I finally admit defeat. Pop open the champagne and gloat in your celebration."

He shakes his head and laughs, "I'm not going to relish in your misery."

"Why not? I deserve it. I was a total bitch to you…"

He nods. "That may be true but, no one, not even a big bitch like you, deserves this much sorrow."

I lightly smile. "You know… you're the very first person that I've said those words to."

"I'm… honoured," he says quietly.

I roll my eyes and sniffle. "Be serious."

"Oh, I **am** serious. You've just told me this huge secret that you can't even tell your best friends, your parents or even your own boyfriend, who, by the way, is the baby's father. Instead, you told me, some random guy, who you hardly even know anymore, let alone like. I'm honoured, really." He places his hand over his heart.

I look down and begin to cry even harder, "I-I j-just d-d-don't know w-what to d-do…"

Unexpectedly, Chris lightly places his hands around my arms and brings me in close to his chest. For the first time in a long time, we're hugging.

Responding to his hug, I grab the neck of his collar and begin to sob into his plaid t-shirt.

He then pats my brown hair down my back and whispers, "It's okay. Everything will be alright."

I look up at him, his shirt covered in mascara and try to force a smile, "you think so?"

He nods, "Definitely."

Sitting here on the grass, clinging to this boy who I would never before even think of letting myself be seen with, during school hours no more or less, seems like the most normal thing in the world.

And you know what? It doesn't feel strange at all.

After a moment of sobbing, I finally speak. Well, I whisper rather, "I'm sorry…"

Just then the bell rings for third period.

Slowly, I move away from him and begin rubbing dried mascara off of my face.

"I must look like a mess…" I sniffle while laughing.

He smile, "you look beautiful."

I roll my eyes at his compliment, "yeah, yeah, whatever Chambers."

I get up from where I was and turn to him, "I'll see you."

As I walk away from him and head for the school, I feel his hand grab mine.

I jerk my head to face him. "What are you doing?"

He shrugs, "Do you wanna get out of here?"

I laugh, "You can't be serious? Chris, we have class…"

He looks me dead in the eyes, hopeful. "I am serious."

A spark ignites in my eyes and I purse my lips. I want to say no, but somehow the right words aren't forming in my mouth.

I hesitate. "Where would we go?"

He smiles and shoots up like a rocket, "Anywhere! The town is our oyster, and we are the pearl…s."

"You are so cheesy, Chambers."

He shrugs innocently. "I know."

With my hand still in his, Chris pulls me forward. We then run through the parking lot and away from the school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice feedback is very much appreciated, as usual. :)


	6. An Afternoon with Chris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace spends an afternoon with Chris, which helps her feel better...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter of A Satellite Heart Lost in the Dark. :)

"…So that's basically my life in a nutshell this past month." I tell him as I suck down a large chocolate milkshake.

He sighs and nods, "that's a lot to take in."

After gallivanting around town all afternoon, the two of us had now stopped to get something to eat at the ever popular Blue Point Diner.

"Yep, and now that Richard and I are done, I have no idea what's going to happen."

I go on. "I was so stupid to think that he would change…"

"No, I don't think you were stupid, you were just optimistic. Honestly? He's a total loser for giving you up."

I blush. "Thanks."

He frowns and leans in. "So, what are you gonna do with the baby?"

I shrug, "I don't know."

"Well, you know, I was curious and read the pamphlet that you dropped the time we ran into each other outside of the hospital, and it talks about abortion. You're not thinking about **that** , are you? Grace, that kind of thing can mess you up for life."

I nibble on a French fry, "what other options do I have?"

He frowns, "Well from the way I see it, your only other options are adoption and keeping the baby."

I bite my lip.

He smiles, "Or you can kick it old school. You know, drop it in a basket and send it on floating down the river."

I roll my eyes. "Not funny."

His eyes sparkle, "then why are you laughing?"

My heart skips and I immediately pull my lips into a frown and become serious.

"Well, I definitely can't keep it; that's for sure. My parents would never allow it."

He raises an eyebrow, "speaking of your parents… have you decided how you're going to tell them?"

I laugh at his question, "Are you kidding? I haven't even decided when I'm going to tell them, if I even tell them at that."

"Grace, you're going to have to tell them eventually. I mean, even if you don't, they're going to suspect something's up when your belly gets increasingly bigger each month."

"I know, but, you don't understand. My mom is crazy. If she finds out that I had a baby out of wedlock, I don't know what she'll do. Probably send me to a mental institution somewhere."

I continue while polishing off my burger, "That's probably the main reason why my dad sleeps around all the time. She doesn't show affection towards anyone."

Chris nods in understanding, "how long has your old man been sleeping around?"

I shrug, "A couple of years now. But, I've learned to accept it, you know? My dad and I, we have a good relationship. We may not get along all the time, but he's the one I go to when I need a parent to talk to."

I feel my eyes begin to well with tears as I continue, "I'm just scared that one day, he's gonna fall in love with some other woman, and then just up and leave my mom and I. If he was gone… I don't know what I would do."

Chris looks down at his plate of food. "You know, you're lucky. I wish I had a relationship like that with my old man. Hell, I'd like any kind of relationship with him. All he ever does is get drunk and beat the shit outta me and Eyeball."

I shake my head, "Chris, I'm so sorry…"

"Nah, don't be. Of course, he doesn't do it all the time, but when he does, he really does."

He pauses for a minute and his eyes glaze over.

I look at him and can see the anger and sadness in his face. I sit there just stare for what seems like hours. I don't know what to say or do.

Finally a small grin appears on his face, "Boy, do I know how to kill a mood or what?"

I smile back and look at the clock. But when I do so, my smile fades, and my stomach drops.

"Oh, shit! It's almost six thirty! My mom's going to kill me!"

Chris shoots up, "I'll walk you home."

"No, that's really okay, Chris. I don't want you walking all the way across town and back again."

He shakes his head like it's no big deal, "it's fine, really."

I smile, "thanks."

He then puts down a twenty on the table and shrugs into his brown, tattered jacket.

I look at the money curiously and then back to Chris for some sort of explanation.

He chuckles, "I have a job. It's at Larry's Comics. You know the comic book place in town?"

"Yeah, I've heard of it. I just never thought that you would be working there."

"Hey, it pays well."

"So I see."

"Come on." he says as he extends his hand towards mine.

I take it without hesitation and we both leave the diner, towards The View, hand in hand.

Dusk is approaching when we finally make it to my house.

Chris stops in his tracks just on the bottom of the porch steps and examines the house in awe.

"Your house… is huge! I don't remember it being this big."

I shrug. "It's alright."

He looks at me in shock, "it's alright? How is this beautiful home just 'alright'?"

"Personally, I think it's too big."

He chuckles to himself. "You know Grace, the more I get to know you again, the more you really surprise me."

"Is that a good thing?" I ask hopefully.

He nods. "It's a **very** good thing."

"I feel that same way. For a long time, I thought you were some arrogant and sarcastic guy, but I was so wrong."

He puts a hand over his heart and gapes open his mouth, "ouch! Well, I must admit before today, I thought you were some cold, ignorant bitch. I was wrong as well."

I laugh, "well, I'm glad that I could change your mind."

Suddenly, Chris takes my hand and intertwines his long fingers with mine.

"We should do this more often." he says quietly; his breath warm against my face.

I sigh heavily, "I agree. I opened up to you more in a day than I could ever open up to any my friends in a lifetime. Including Richard."

Without smiling, Chris leans in close, his face just inches from mine. My breath is staggered and my heart begins beating about a mile a minute. I can smell his sweet breath as his lips draw closer and closer to mine.

He then gently places his index finger and thumb on the bottom of my chin and turns my head slightly to the side.

I shudder as his soft, wet lips graze against the skin of my cheek.

His hand turns my head back to its original position and he grins widely.

My eyes are wide and I don't say a word, I can't.

Chris lets go of my face and backs away. "Good night, Grace."

I manage to speak, rather squeak, out a "goodnight".

As I watch him disappear down the road, I quickly run inside and up to my room. However, my mother catches me just before I make it halfway up the stairs.

"Excuse me, young lady. And just where do you think you're going?"

"I was just going up to my room." I say while trying to conceal my giddiness.

"I don't think so. You're late for dinner." she says folding her arms tightly across her chest.

"I know, but I'm not really that hungry anyway, so I figured I'd skip dinner."

My mom purses her lips, "No worries. However, I do want to talk to you."

"Can't it wait? I'm really tired."

"No, it cannot. Grace Lillian Donovan, you get your behind downstairs right now!" she says sternly.

I lean my head back in defeat and trudge down the stairs.

She and I both sit down at the same time on the long, black leather couch in the living room.

She stares me down for a few moments, her eyes narrow and firm.

I gulp as she takes a breath in to speak.

"Richard called." she says calmly.

I roll my eyes, "So?"

"Several times," she continues.

Silence falls over me.

"He was calling because he was worried sick about you. He said that you were upset about something and you fled school grounds."

God, why must she make everything sound so fucking dramatic? 'Fled school grounds'? I'm not a criminal who's just escaped doing hard time. I left school. I did something that most teenagers do.

"Did he tell you what I was upset about?" I ask curiously.

She shakes her head. "No."

I fiddle my thumbs. "We broke up today. I caught him with another girl; it was Brittany."

She sighs uncaringly and gets up from the couch, "Well, I'm very sorry. But that's no reason to skip school. Next time it happens, you are going to be in so much trouble. Do you understand?"

I glare at her, "Whatever."

I then get up and go to my room, slamming the door behind me in anger.

How the hell can someone, especially my own mother, be so inconsiderate? I just caught my boyfriend of four years cheating on me with one of my best friends and she just acts like it's no big deal? Goddammit, I cannot stand that woman!

I groan as my body hits my bed. I roll over and cover myself in the blankets. Thoughts of Chris raced through my mind as I quietly drift off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice feedback is, as usual, very much appreciated, of course. :)


	7. Grade A Bitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace makes a decision that changes her life forever... a decision that has to do with Chris..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter of A Satellite Heart Lost in the Dark. Hope you like it! :)

"He's such an ass!"

"He doesn't deserve a great girl like you!"

"What a dick!"

I smiled politely as my friends and classmates bombarded me in the hallway at school in the morning. Apparently what had happened between Richard and I had been spread around to entire school in a matter of one afternoon.

"Thanks everyone, but I'm fine… really! You don't have to worry about me." I said as cheerfully as I possibly could.

The students shrugged and turned around, leaving me face to face with Rachel and Taylor.

I smiled weakly and sighed, "hey."

They both lunged and embraced me in a long and comforting hug.

"Richard is such a jerk!" Taylor said into my ear.

Rachel agreed. "Yeah. I cannot believe he did this to you!"

Taylor let go of me and looked at Rachel, "I cannot believe Brittany did this to her! You'd think she'd have some common sense, and dignity, for that matter."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "It's Brittany. The girl has about as much common sense as a fish."

Taylor nodded and looked back to me,. "Hun, we're here for you. If you need anything, just let us know."

"Yeah, like if you need someone to rip off Richard's balls, we're here for you!"

I laughed lightly, "guys, really, it's okay. I mean, sure, I'm pissed but in some way, I'm also relieved that it's over."

"I knew you guys were having troubles, but was it really that bad?" asked Taylor.

"Yeah, I thought you were going to let things play out?" added Rachel.

I shrugged, "I was but I realized that if I did, things weren't going to change. Richard will always be the same stupid asshole that he's been for the past four years."

The two of them stood there looking at me in silence as I fiddled with the combination of my lock.

I continued. "Besides, I've started 'seeing' someone else."

Their faces lit up in excitement at the suddenly happy news.

Rachel grabbed my arm. "Who? Grace, you have to tell us!"

Taylor nodded in agreement. "Definitely. Is he hot? What's his name? Does he go to this school?"

I put my hand up to stop her. "Whoa! Calm down, girl. Yes, he is hot, and he does go to this school. However, nothing's official… yet."

"What's his name?" they asked in unison.

I hesitated, not sure what they would think of the idea of Chris and me in a relationship.

"…Chris Chambers."

Immediately their faces fell to the floor. Rachel had a look of disgust on her face while Taylor looked like she had just swallowed a rat.

"Chris Chambers, he's… nice?" Taylor said while contemplating her choice of words.

"Are you fucking kidding me Grace? I mean sure, he's hot, but he's a LOSER! You cannot be associated with him! He'll ruin your reputation!" Rachel said bluntly.

I sighed, "Rach, he's not that bad. You know how I left school yesterday afternoon? Well, I went with him and we talked. He's a really sweet guy and I really like him."

Rachel shook her head, "oh honey, I think that this break up is making you crazy! Sweet or not, he's still a total dork, along with his pal Gordie Lachance."

"Why are you being so hostile towards him?" I asked defensively.

"I'm not! I'm merely looking out for your best interests. Grace, you're my best friend and I love you. I just don't want to see you get hurt and become the school's biggest joke since that one kid who was caught picking his nose and eating it."

I changed the subject. "Look, I really appreciate you guys trying to help me out, but I can't deal with this right now. I gotta go to class, but I'll see you at lunch okay?"

They both nodded and I turned and headed for math.

Along the way, I couldn't help but think of what Rachel had said to me. In a way, she's right. I'm the most popular girl at school, and if I dated someone like Chris; it could all be gone in a second. Plus, we're from two different worlds, and if we hooked up, in the end, it could never work out.

I bit my lip at this and shook my head of these thoughts when all of a sudden, a hand grabbed my shoulder.

It was Brittany.

Her eyes were all puffy, probably from crying, and her bottom lip was quivering like a little kid who had just found out that there wasn't a Santa Claus.

"Hi." She sobbed out.

"Hi." I said coldly.

"Listen, Grace, can we talk?" she asked quietly.

"I have nothing to say to you."

I then turned around and began to walk away.

She followed me, "Grace, please! I just want to talk to you about yesterday."

Angry, I turned around to face her. Her heels made her about a foot taller than me, which caused me to strain my neck while looking up.

"What's there to talk about? You've been sleeping with my boyfriend and betraying my trust! Frankly, there is nothing to talk about."

Her voice began to quaver, "I know that and I am so sorry! You have to know that it meant nothing! It just sort of happened."

I calmed myself down and asked, "I just want to know one thing… how long have you two been… together?"

She hesitated. "Ever since your seventeenth birthday party."

My mouth gaped open and anger seeped through my pores. "Five months? Really?"

She nodded. "He told me that you weren't 'satisfying' his needs. So, one thing led to another and now, here we are. Can you ever forgive me?"

I shook my head in disgust. "No! Quite honestly, I don't give a rat's ass if I ever see you two again!"

With that, I clutched my books to my chest and walked past her, leaving her standing there, all alone, crying.

* * *

"Hey!" whispered a voice in my ear.

I jumped, startled, and turned around to see Chris standing there with a big goofy grin on his face.

I smiled. Just seeing him makes my day a hell of a lot better.

"Why is it that every time I'm upset, you just happen to show up?"

He looked at me concerned, "you're upset? What about?"

I sighed, "I had a run in with Brittany and then Rachel and Taylor said some stuff…"

"What kind of stuff?"

I lied, "nothing. It's nothing."

He shrugged and then gave me a hug.

I smiled at his warm embrace but then quickly stiffened as I thought of who was watching us.

I backed away from him and darted my eyes around the hallway.

He narrowed his eyes, "what are you doing?"

I looked back to him, "nothing!"

"Did I do something wrong? You look like you're paran-"

He stopped and realization hit him. He leaned his head back and chuckled to himself.

"God, you're paranoid about us aren't you?"

I shook my head and, once again, lied, "no! I'm not, it's just that-"

"You are!" he interrupted.

"Chris, please. Don't do this, not now. Can we just talk about this in private?" I begged.

"No, lets! Obviously you have a problem with seeing me." He shouted.

People in the hall stopped and began listening to our bickering.

I whispered, "Chris, stop. People are staring."

But he continued his shouting, "You know, after yesterday, I thought that you were this awesome girl who didn't care about what other people thought."

I looked down in silence.

"Well, I can see that I was really wrong."

He waited for my reply, but I didn't say anything. I just stood there in silence.

**_He is totally right. I am a shallow, materialistic girl who only cares about herself. I am a grade A bitch._ **

The bell rang. Chris looked at me, shaking his head, and then turned and left.

* * *

"Well, I for one am glad that you dropped his ass. Think about it this way Grace, if you had actually gone out with him then your life would have been ruined!" said Rachel as she downed her strawberry yogurt.

Rachel, Taylor and I were sitting at our usual library table during lunch. I had given them the basics of what went down in the morning with both Brittany and Chris.

Taylor sighed, "Do you think you'll ever forgive Brittany?"

I shrugged, "Right now, definitely not."

"No worries. Brittany was just a hassle anyway." whispered Rachel. "Oh! I almost forgot! Grace, Brad totally has a friend who is willing to go out with you. He is super cute and is the captain of Castle Rock's very own minor league baseball team!"

Immediately, I droned out Rachel's voice and looked over to where Chris and Gordie were sitting. Gordie was reading one of his usual comics while Chris was writing something down.

I smiled as his large blue eyes sparkled in the light and his short, messy hair stuck out in every different direction.

**_What the hell am I doing? Why am I just sitting here and not doing anything to prove to Chris that I am not just another shallow, rich bitch? I have to go and apologize. I have to somehow get him back._ **

Without a word, I stood up and straightened out my skirt. I then confidently walked over to where Chris was sitting and stood at the edge of his table, waiting for him to acknowledge my presence.

It was Gordie who was the first one to notice me. His large, doe like eyes widened as he saw me standing there. Lightly, he taped Chris with his pale, fragile arm.

Chris slowly looked up, his eyes boring into mine. He frowned.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I want to talk to you. I need to tell you something."

He smirked. "Careful. people might see you conversing with two losers."

I rolled my eyes, took a deep breath in and turned to face the large group of students crowded in the library.

I cleared my throat, "Can I have everyone's attention please?"

Every head of every student glanced up from what they were doing at once. My heart began racing and for a moment, I closed my eyes tightly, and could feel the warmth radiating off of my face.

**_Oh God! Chris better thank me for this!_ **

"As you all know, my name is Grace Donovan. I am your student's council president and currently head cheerleader of this school. I have a 4.0 GPA average and some would consider that I am the most popular girl in school. But, what you don't know about me is that yesterday, I spent the entire afternoon with Chris Chambers."

I pointed to Chris, whose eyes were now bulging out of his head.

I continued, "For those of you who don't know him. Chris is one of the sweetest most caring guys I have ever met in my life. Sure, he may not be the coolest guy around and he may work at Larry's Comics but… I like him."

I turned to Chris and smiled, "Before, what you said about me being a selfish shallow bitch, you were right, I was. But, after hanging out and talking with you, I've realized that I don't want to be that person anymore. So this is me, not caring about what anyone else thinks!"

I turned back to the crowd, "I like him and if anyone", I looked to Rachel and Taylor who were in complete and utter shock, "has anything to say about that, then you can just fuck off!"

I breathed and turned back to Chris, I waited for him to respond.

"Well, say something… please?"

He looked at me and laughed. "You're crazy…"

I looked at him in disbelief. "Okay then..."

I then turned around and walked in shame through the library.

**_Well, that couldn't have gone any worse. Now I really am the laughing stock of the whole school._ **

Tears began forming in my eyes and I made it halfway through the library when Chris caught up with me. He grabbed my shoulder and spun me around.

"You didn't let me finish," he said while smiling.

"What? Were you going to say that I was arrogant? How about egotistical? Or I know how abou-"

But before I could finish his lips were on mine.

My whole body responded quickly and intensely by grabbing the back of his head and pulling his body closer to mine. An electric pulse ran all through my body. My knees became week and my head felt fuzzy. Chris placed his hands firmly around my waist and my fingers ran loosely through his hair. His soft, agile lips navigated around mine and for a moment, I felt as though nothing could tear us apart.

That is until I remembered about the hundred or so kids staring us down in the library,

I slowly pulled away from him and looked around. The entire room of people were awkwardly staring at each other and didn't know what to make of the situation.

Neither did I, but boy, was I one happy girl.

Chris and I both smiled innocently and began laughing. Without another word, we left the library hand in hand, leaving behind a room full of shocked people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice feedback is, as usual, very much appreciated, of course. :)


	8. Four Months Pregnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace finally tells her friends her other big secret...

"All right, girls, let's try the grand pyramid!" I shout at the squad while putting down my large red pompoms.

The girls groan at my request but they all get into their required positions. Six girls on the bottom, 3 more rows of five, four and three, and last but not least, Rachel, the cherry on top.

I was originally the very top of the pyramid, but since I've been pregnant, I haven't exactly been able to do cheer stunts. Of course, the other girls don't know about that; they all think that I've strained my back.

Their red and white uniforms glitter in the light, and their shiny ponytails swish magically back and forth.

I smile at the beautiful formation, "you guys look amazing!"

The girls cheer and I look at the gymnasium clock.

"It's four o'clock, time to pack it up! I'll see you all next Thursday, same time!"

The team disassembles the pyramid and head for the girls locker room.

Rachel and Taylor stay behind to help me clean up the equipment.

"So, how are things going with Chris?" asks Taylor while folding one of the mats up.

I smile, "they're going fine, why do you ask?"

She shrugs, "you two are just too cute together."

Ever since the library stunt, my two friends have slowly gotten used to the idea of Chris and me in a relationship.

"Yeah, it makes me sick." says Rachel as she pretends to barf by using a red and white pompom.

Well, Taylor's gotten used to it.

I place my hands on my hips, "hey! I don't make fun of the pda sessions that you and Brad have during lunch everyday."

She rolls her eyes, "that's because Brad is co captain of the football team."

I laugh unamused, "what's that supposed to mean?"

She raises her eyebrows, "Oh, I think you know."

I stop and glare at her, "wow, Rachel. You're still going on about Chris' popularity."

"Or lack there of it…" she adds.

I throw the bag of pompoms on the floor, "fuck, Rachel! I thought you were over this whole popularity bullshit regarding Chris!"

"I will be if you dump him." she whispers while avoiding any eye contact.

My face becomes hot with anger, "you know what-

But before I can finish, Taylor has made her way into the argument.

"Whoa! Guys, stop! I really don't feel like cleaning up blood today."

Her scared eyes looked back and forth between Rachel and me.

After about a minute of sheer silence, Taylor speaks, "are you two cool?"

Rachel sighs, "yeah. Look, I'm sorry about calling Chambers a loser. He seems like a really great guy and I'm happy for you."

I smile slightly, "thanks."

Taylor pretends to wipe a tear from her eye and sniffles, "I promised myself that I wouldn't cry…"

I punch her lightly in the arm, "shut up."

All three of us smile at each other and stand there in the quiet emptiness of the gym.

**_It's now or never. You have to tell them that you're pregnant. I mean, they're your best friends; they have a right to know!_ **

I clear my throat and look at them, "guys, I have to tell you something…"

The two raise their eyebrows in curiosity, "what is it?" they ask in unison.

I take a deep breath in and close my eyes, hesitating for a moment.

**_Just do it already!_ **

"I'm pregnant!" I blurt out.

The word echoed throughout the entire gymnasium, bouncing off of every wall, every corner until it slowly faded into oblivion. Unresponsive, Rachel and Taylor simply stare, wide eyed at me.

Rachel is the first one to speak, "holy shit, Grace, how long have you known?"

I shrug, "a few months…"

"How long is a few months?" asks Taylor.

"…four." I whisper.

"So, you're telling us that you've been pregnant for four months, and you've failed to tell your best friends?" Rachel asks furiously.

I nod, "I'm so sorry. I really wanted to tell you guys, but, things just got so out of control."

"Does Chris know?" asks Taylor.

"Yeah, he was the first person I told." I say awkwardly.

Rachel's mouth gapes open, "what? Why did you tell him first?"

"I told him right after I found out about Richard and Brittany. I was upset, he had suspected that something was going on with me, and as he was comforting me I told him."

"He's okay with his girlfriend having someone else's baby?" asks Rachel.

I nod, "yeah, he's been really supportive of me. He's taken me to all of my doctor's appointments."

Taylor smiles and puts her hand to her heart, "Aw, that's so sweet."

Rachel hits her, "hello! Can we please come back to reality? Our best friend is pregnant with her sleazy ex-boyfriend's baby!" She pauses, "It **is** Richard's, right?"

I roll my eyes, "yes, it's his."

"I'm guessing he doesn't know about it yet?"

"No, he doesn't and he's not going to find out, ever!"

Taylor furrows her eyebrows together, "why not? He is the father; I think he deserves to know that he has a child."

I shake my head, "I just don't want him around me or the baby. Besides, I'm doing him a favor. He doesn't even like kids."

"So, does that mean you're going to keep the baby?" asks Taylor.

I frown, "I don't know. I still haven't decided. I'm considering adoption."

Rachel chimes in, "what about your parents? You know when your mom finds out she's going to murder you."

I nod, "I know. That's why, I'm going to hide this until it becomes too obvious, then sit both of my parents down and tell them. I'll just have to face the wrath of my mom."

Taylor places her hand on my shoulder, "well, we're here for you if you need us. Right, Rachel?"

She nods in compliance and smiles at me, "right."

I smile back but then frown again, "you guys have to promise me that you will not, under any circumstances, tell anyone about this, okay?"

They both nod and the three of us all hug in a small circle.

Standing there in their in their embrace, I can't help but feel relieved, for once. It's as if a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. Somehow, I don't feel as guilty as I had before about the baby. Things can only go up from here… right?

* * *

"So, I told the girls about the baby," I say into the phone while lying on my bed.

"Ah, and how did **that** go?" asks Chris on the other end of the line.

It's now midnight on a Friday morning and I'm lying on my bed in my room, painting my toenails. Chris and I are having our usual midnight phone conversations. This is because his dad is out at the bar and my mom is fast asleep.

"Surprisingly well. At first, they were totally freaked out, but, then they calmed down and I think things are going to be okay."

"Now, all you need to tell are your parents and Richard."

I laugh loudly, "ha! I am not telling Richard!"

"Why not? He is the father."

"After all the crap he's pulled, I think it's best if he never finds out."

He sighs, "he will find out eventually, when your belly grows bigger."

I get up from my bed and walk over to my full length mirror. I lift up my pyjama top and examine my belly. It's still pretty flat with just a tiny bump showing.

"You know, for someone who is four months pregnant, I still look like a twig. Besides, Richard is stupid; maybe he won't even notice?"

Chris chuckles, "don't worry. I bet you by next month, you'll be huge! He'll definitely notice then."

I scoff at him, "shut up! I may be pregnant but I can kick your ass!"

"Oh! I'm so scared of a pregnant girl kicking the shit out of me!" he mocks.

Ignoring his lame joke, I change the subject, "so, my parents are going to be gone for the weekend…"

"What are you implying, Miss Donovan?" asks Chris curiously.

"Hey! I'm not implying anything. I'm merely stating a fact. If you wanted to come over tomorrow after school say around six? We can watch a movie, cuddle by the fire…"

"How romantic." he says sarcastically.

"If you don't want to come over and make out that's fine by me! I'll just find something else to do… or someone."

"Ouch! Grace, I am hurt, really hurt." he jokes. "But, in all seriousness, I'd love to come over."

"Great!" I yawn. "Listen, I'm tired and I want to get to bed before my cravings kick in. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

The phone goes dead.

* * *

I can hear the sound of the wind whipping the soft white snow from outside as I prepare some popcorn for 'date night'.

I look outside and watch in awe as the snow dances around in circles between the fluffy white trees.

I look at the clock. It's already five to six and Chris hasn't shown up yet.

**_I hope he hasn't gotten caught in this terrible storm._ **

I shrug the thought off and bring the popcorn into the living room. I flop onto the couch.

To kill some time I begin flipping through channels and don't stop until I come upon something I like.

"Aha! Channel five's playing the always classic 'Robin Hood'. I think I'll watch that!"

I stick my hand in the bowl and grab the last remains of popcorn.

Surprised that I had eaten the whole bowl, I look at the clock.

It's quarter to seven.

**_Damn you, Robin Hood! You made me forget about date night with my boyfriend. Why do you have to be such a good film?_ **

Worried, I go into the kitchen and phone Chris' house.

I try to reassure myself, "maybe he's just stuck at home because of the storm. Or, maybe he just got sidetracked or something."

After dialling the last of his number I immediately hear a busy signal on the other end.

"Shit!" I whisper to myself.

Panic starts to set in and I begin hyperventilating.

_**What if he's really hurt? Or worse, what if he's dead?** _

About to pass out from nausea, suddenly the doorbell rings.

Swiftly, I run to the door and haul it open to reveal a very battered and cold Christopher Chambers.

Without thinking I step outside, my whole body becoming numb in seconds.

I examine Chris. His right eye is black and blue, his left arm has a huge scrape on it, and the top of his forehead is dripping blood.

"What happened to you?" I ask while lightly touching his wounds.

He winces as I place my finger near the cut on his forehead, "my old man came home drunk and decided that it was time for a beat-down."

I sigh and grab him by the hand, "come inside, you must be freezing."

I bring him inside and lead him into the kitchen where he sits down on the counter.

I rummage through some drawers until I finally find the first aid kit. I bring it over to where he is and open it.

I pull out some bandages and medicines used to treat cuts and begin to carefully prepare them for him.

Chris winces as I softly dab the cut on his forehead.

"Oh, don't be a baby, Chris. It's just alcohol."

He glares at me, "hey, that shit stings."

I put down the cloth and look at him, "I'm just glad that you're alright."

He rubs my arm and nods, "yeah, me too…"

We're silent as I carefully put the bandage on his wound.

Chris continues, "I almost didn't make it outta there."

I look into his ocean blue eyes, shocked, "what?"

"Yeah, he almost bashed my skull in with a baseball bat, which is surprising, because he's really uncoordinated when he's drunk."

My whole body begins to shiver at the though of almost losing him, "why would you tell me that?"

In seeing this, Chris grabs me and holds me tight, patting the back of my wet hair down on my back.

"Shhh, it's alright, I'm fine. I'm still here."

He lifts my chin up with his hand and looks deep into my tear stained eyes.

"Grace, I promise you that I will never, ever leave you. Do you understand?"

I nod, tears still running down my cheeks.

He leans down closely to my face and whispers, "I love you."

My frowning lips curve into a tight smile. My eyes light up with joy.

Those three little words said only one time by Chris mean more to me now than the many times they were said by Richard.

Unexpectedly, I lunge into him and place my wet lips against his. He immediately jumps off of the counter and picks me up, hoisting me on his waist. I wrap my long legs around him and his hands fall on the arch of my back.

My heart is racing as Chris dips his tongue into my mouth, tracing and massaging every inch he can reach.

His kisses are nothing like Richard's. Simply put, they are, well, like sex for my mouth.

Every touch from his soft fingers sends my whole body into electric pulses. I can taste his sweet scent on my lips, my breath becoming staggered.

For the first time, I begin to feel passion, excitement and belonging. Chris can open me up, make me feel alive, and knows how to set my soul on fire.

Seconds seem like days until we finally break away for some air, our foreheads touching, lips puffy and eyes gleaming.

He looks at me, my heart melting and whispers, "are you sure?"

I nod, barely moving my head and kiss him again.

Carefully, he begins walking, with my legs still around his waist, up the long staircase.

I hold my lips to his as we make our way into my bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice feedback is very much appreciated, of course... :)


	9. After the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace remembers the events of the previous night, and then tries talking to the baby; she feels much better as a result.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter. I hope you're liking this story so far. :)

Slowly, I open my tired eyes and adjust them to the warm, sunny morning.

I yawn, roll over onto my side and smile while spreading the mess of brown, that I call my hair, away from my face.

There he is. Dirty blonde hair, tanned smooth skin, it's Chris in all of his glory. I can see every flaw, every misshaped part of his body perfectly.

He is perfect.

I watch as his chest heaves up and down, his breath slow and fluid. Gently, I place my small head on him.

My head bobs up and down as I listen to the beat of his heart. It is slow and rhythmical, almost like a drum.

Goosebumps surface on my skin as I think of the events that had unfolded last night. I can feel every movement of our bodies, every touch against my skin. The way his tepid breath felt on the nape of my neck. The clenching of his muscles as I dug deep into his back. The way my toes would curl as a wave of pleasure filled every inch of my body.

Sex was never like this with Richard. The first time we had done it, actually, the only time we had done it, he was finished within five minutes and hadn't even stayed the night with me. He was rough and uncaring, not like Chris.

Chris was patient and gentle with me. It was like he was somehow "protecting" me at my most vulnerable.

I shift slightly so that my bare body is touching his. I can feel the warmness of his skin against mine.

"Good morning." whispers a voice in my ear.

I look up and see him flashing his pearly white teeth at me while his blue eyes pierce in the sunlight.

I sigh, "good morning to you too."

"how are you?" he asks while kissing the top of my head.

I rub my cheek against his skin, "I'm fine. What about you? I hope I didn't wear you out too much."

He laughs, "please, you wear me out? That's a good one."

He sits up and reaches his hand to his back, "although, you did wear the skin off of my back with your nails."

I feel the cat like scars on his skin and bite my lip, "sorry."

He shakes it off and I lie back down; placing my head in the nook of his neck.

He nods, "You know, lying here with you, I feel a certain stillness within me. I feel as though the world isn't as truly fucked up as I know it is. I can be myself when I'm with you and I feel like the innocent little kid that I used to be. Before all of the shit that has happened with my family. I love you for that, Grace."

My heart swells with pride, I grab the back of his head and bring it down to mine, "You can be so adorably cheesy when you want to be, Chambers."

A goofy grin appears on his face, "you love it!" He states.

I nod, "I do. I really do!"

I then nuzzle my head and sigh, "I could lie here forever."

Just then, a loud grumble comes from under the sheets of the bed to where my stomach is.

I pat it, "apparently the baby doesn't agree!"

Chris gets out of bed and searches for something to cover his naked body.

I smirk, "cute butt…"

He blushes, "is there anything to cover my cute butt up with?"

I nod and point to my closet, "there should be a few bath robes. Take your pick."

He goes in and emerges a few seconds later sporting a somewhat short yellowed satin robe.

I begin to giggle but his glare soon shuts me up.

"I'm going to go downstairs and cook up some breakfast. Are you coming?"

I nod, "I'll be down in a sec. Just let me put on something."

He nods and leaves the room.

I turn over onto my back and lift up the white sheets to my bed.

I place both of my hands on the firmness of my stomach and sigh.

"I've read that mothers usually talk to their baby when it's inside their tummy, so I thought I'd give it a try."

"Hi, baby. It's me, your mom. Wow, I cannot believe that I just said that. You know, I thought that when I would have kids, I would at least be in my late twenties with a job and a husband. Oh, how things change."

I contemplate, trying to find the right words to say. It's like I'm giving a speech for valedictorian or something.

"When I first found out about you, I have to admit I was a little scared. Okay, I was really scared. In fact, I still am. But, can you blame me? I mean, getting knocked up after your first time isn't really what you hope for. Which reminds me, when you're my age I am not letting you date, at all…especially if you're a girl."

I smile as I rub the little mound.

I continue, "I can't say things are all bad though. These past couple of months have been pretty solid. I have great friends who are really supportive and for the first time in my life, I'm in love."

"Baby, even if I don't get to keep you, I really do hope that you end up with two parents who are going to love and cherish you just as much as I would. I also hope that I can one day meet you when you're older and we can talk face to face rather than face to belly."

Tears begin to well up in my eyes as I pat my stomach, " No matter what, I'll love you forever,"

Just then Chris' voice echoes from the bottom of the stairs, "do you want some breakfast?"

My head snaps up and I sniff my tears in, "sure! One second!"

Swiftly, I get up, throw on a pink bath robe and head down the stairs.

I can smell breakfast as I enter the kitchen.

I smile and wrap my arms around Chris' waist, kissing him on the neck.

"What's cookin' good lookin'?"

"Bacon and eggs." he says as he places two strips of meat on a plate.

I let out a cry of joy and sit down at the table, "Oh! How I've missed the deliciousness that is breakfast!"

He looks at me curiously, "why's that?"

"It's because of the baby. My morning sickness is so bad that for the past four months, I've had nothing to eat but apples and dry cereal for breakfast. Now, I think I can actually stand the smell of eggs."

I smile cheerfully as Chris places a plate of breakfast in front of me.

However, my smile quickly turns to a grimace when the aroma of the eggs and bacon hit my nostrils.

My stomach churns at the taste and the vomit enters the back of my throat.

"Or not…" Chris says while trying to contain a chuckle.

Gagging, I fling from my chair and sprint for the bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice feedback is very much appreciated, please. :)


	10. The Boiling Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace makes a horrible discovery, loses a friend, skips school and is saved by Chris — and all in one day, of course..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the next chapter of A Satellite Heart Lost in the Dark. Hope you like it! :)

Monday morning came here quicker than ever, and I can't help but feel sad to see the weekend go.

Chris and I had spent most of Saturday and Sunday together. He eventually got up the courage to go back home. Luckily, his father had forgotten all about the Friday incident and didn't hide him too hard for running away for a couple of days.

With Chris' hand in mine, the two of us made our way up the steps and entered the doors to the hallowed halls of hell.

I shiver as I take off my coat and place it inside of my already stuffed locker.

Chris kisses the top of my head, "Listen, I gotta go and meet Gordo. We have a Physics project due next week, and I promised him that we'd work on it together this morning. Plus, I feel like I barely hang with him anymore."

I nod my head in understanding, "Yeah, I feel like I barely see Taylor or Rachel anymore either. But, I'll see you later?"

He smiles at me and leaves. I then close my locker and head in the direction of the library.

* * *

"Oh my god! That is the sweetest thing I have ever heard!"

Taylor squees as I tell her about everything that has happened between Chris and me during the weekend.

It's now a couple of minutes before first period, and Taylor and I are sitting at our usual table in the library.

She goes on, "No, but seriously, that's probably one of the most romantic things, like, ever! I so wish I was you."

I raise my eyebrows at her and motion to my belly.

She corrects herself, "Well, you know, I wish I was you without the whole pregnancy thing."

I roll my eyes at her and shake my head, "Anyway, I'm pretty positive that this is the real thing. I know I'm only seventeen and I probably sound childish but, I think he could be the one."

Taylor puts her hands to her mouth and widens her eyes, "Rachel would die if she heard this."

I look at her curiously, "speaking of Rachel, where the hell is she?"

Taylor frowns, looking around the room, "I don't know. I haven't seen her at all this morning. Knowing her, she's probably off somewhere making out with her boyfriend."

I nod, "probably."

Just then, the bell for first period rings. Both Taylor and I gather our stuff together and walk off to Math, ready to start another long and boring Monday morning.

* * *

"I hate school!" I groan as Taylor and I rush out of second period and head for the cafeteria.

"I'll just be glad when we graduate. I cannot wait to get the hell out of this god awful town." says Taylor.

I smile slightly and look through the cluster of people for Chris.

That's when I notice it.

Everyone is looking me up and down and whispering as I pass them.

Confused, I turn to Taylor. "Do I have something in my teeth?"

She laughs. "No… why?"

I shake my head, "I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like everyone is staring at me for some reason."

Taylor looks around. "You know, now that I'm looking, I see it too…"

Before I can comment, a small, pale girl comes up to me, a smile plastered across her face. It was Vicki Gilbert, a freshman on the cheerleading team. She's not conventionally pretty, but her high cheekbones and long raven hair bring out her big, grey eyes. She could be a real knockout if she lost the baby fat and grew an inch taller.

I smile at her, "Hey Vicki, what's up?"

"So, is it true?" she asks excitedly.

I narrow my eyes at her and tilt my head slightly, "is what true?"

She rolls her eyes and guffaws, "oh, you know…"

Without any hesitation she puts her small, right hand on my belly.

Horrified, Taylor and I look at Vicki who is now cooing at my belly.

"So, what are you going to name it?"

Quickly, I push her away from my body and grip her shoulders, hard.

She winces as my eyes bore into hers, "Who told you this information?"

She begins to stammer, "R-Rachel t-told me…"

I snigger and shake my head, "No! Vicki, you must be mistaken."

Vicki shakes her head, "It was Rachel. She told me that you wanted everyone to know about the baby."

My heart sinks to the bottom of my chest as I stand there in disbelief.

This can't be true. Rachel is one of my best friends; therefore, she can NEVER do something like this to me.

I look around me; there are even more people staring at me now.

I look back to Vicki who is now trembling in fear, "Where is she?"

"In the library," she answers quietly.

I let her go and grab Taylor, the two of us running as fast as we can to where Rachel is.

A range of emotions course through my blood as I near closer and closer to the library.

Taylor and I enter through the doors and find Rachel standing by a desk with two young blonde girls.

I march up to her, "Rachel."

She turns from her conversation and flashes both of us a fake smile. "Hey, Grace! Hey, Taylor! What's going on?"

Taylor glares at her. "Save the act, Rachel. What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Rachel raises one eyebrow. "Why, whatever do you mean?"

I purse my lips together and my heart skips beats from pumping so fast.

I sigh. "Did you tell people about my secret?"

She deviously smiles. "Grace, you're going to have be more specific than that. I mean, you have told me many secrets over the years…"

Everything around me has become hazy. I feel dizzy, sick, and sad. But, most of all, I feel betrayed. I'm betrayed by my best friend, the one person, besides Chris, who I could turn to for anything.

Tears well in my eyes, "I trusted you. How could you do this to me? You're supposed to be my best friend."

She laughs excitedly like somehow she's actually enjoying this. "Friends? Oh, honey, I haven't even liked you since the ninth grade."

I look around; a group has now gathered around us, and I quickly look away.

I shake my head at her, "I don't understand…"

She rolls her eyes and places her hands on her hips. "Really? Grace I didn't think you were **that** naïve. Well, let me break it down for you."

She pauses and looks at her French manicure.

Finally, she sighs and begins, "All of these years that we've been 'friends', it's been all about you. It's always Grace this and Grace that. Well, you know what? I'm sick of it.

Anger begins to bubble under my skin and my face becomes hot. "That is a load of bullshit."

Rachel scoffs. "Are you kidding? It's not bullshit! It's true and you know it! You're head cheerleader, student's council president and an all around perfect human being!"

She goes quiet before adding, "And I'm just your stupid little sidekick."

I hesitate to say anything because I know that deep down, she's right. Of course, that doesn't give her the right to spill my secret to the whole damn school.

"Well, if I'm so damn perfect, then why did you stay friends with me? Huh?"

Rachel smiles. "You know that saying, keep your friends close but your enemies closer?"

My eyes search hers for an answer, "what?"

She lets out a sigh of frustration, "I couldn't just stop being friends with you. That would've been too easy. I had to find the perfect opportunity to knock you off of your fucking pedestal! At first, I thought Chris would be your demise, but, alas, he did nothing to your status. In fact, I think he made you even more popular."

An evil grin appears on her face; her eyes are cold and black as she speaks. She has absolutely no remorseful hair on her tiny little body,

"So, once I found out about your baby, I knew I had the right stuff to ruin you forever…"

The students around us gasp at this information.

"You basically ruined my life just so you could become popular?" I ask, disgusted.

Taylor speaks softy. "That's fucking twisted, Rachel."

Rachel looks sharply at Taylor, "Oh, shut up, Taylor! Don't try and act all innocent."

Her eyes widen, "What?"

Rachel turns back to me, that stupid smirk still plastered on her face, "Taylor's been a part of my plan the entire time. In fact, she came up with part of the idea."

Not knowing what to believe anymore, I turn to Taylor. "Is this true?"

She grabs my arm, her voice full of shock. "No! Grace, she's making that up! I would never do that to you!"

I yank my arm from her grip and turn back to Rachel. "You know, I always knew you were a bitch, but I never thought that you would do something like this to me. Don't fucking talk to me ever again…"

With that, I turn to leave. However, I stop when Rachel begins to speak.

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to take care of Chris for you while you're off raising your little mistake."

I grit my teeth together and clench my hands into balls as the crowd around me bursts into laughter.

**_Now, it's one thing to insult me and to talk about having sex with my boyfriend. But, when you call my child a mistake, that's when you've basically signed your death warrant._ **

Fuming with rage, I swiftly turn around and launch my right fist into her nose.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion, the swing of my arm, the blood curdling crack her nose made when my fist made contact with it, the way her legs and arms flailed in the air as she fell flat on her ass, and the shrilling scream she made after the adrenaline wore off.

Usually, after seriously injuring someone, one's first initial thought would be to either help said person, or at least run. But, the thing is, I can't do either. My brain is telling me to run, but my body won't move. All I can do is stand in a daze and watch my former best friend writhing on the floor in pain, blood pouring out of her, once normal looking, nose.

That is, until Taylor shook me out of it, "Grace? Grace!"

I blink and look at her, expressionless, "yeah?"

She brought my hand up to my face; it's now swollen with a large cut on two of the four knuckles.

"You're hurt," she says, concerned.

I look at my hand, feeling absolutely no pain at all and look at the group of students, their jaws on the floor; some of them are even clapping.

I look back to Taylor, "I have to go."

I then turn, briskly made my way out of the school and into the cold afternoon.

* * *

Once outside and at a safe distance away from the school, I stop and gather my thoughts.

**_What the hell did I just do? I just punched Rachel! Well, the bitch did deserve it… I can't believe the whole school knows about the baby. I can't ever show my face there again. Damn, I should have gotten my jacket!_ **

I walk through town for a while, shivering from the cold wind.

**_This can't be too good for the baby._ **

I'm halfway down the town's main road when I hear a car pull up from behind me.

I turn around and see Richard get out, his leather jacket snug on his body, and his blonde hair gleaming in the sun.

I rub my arm with my hand, my breath heavy, "what do you want?"

He comes closer towards me and looks down at my stomach.

"Is it true?" He looks at me, his jaw clenched and blue eyes full of hurt.

I nod slightly and bite my lip, "yeah."

The two of us are silent for what seems like hours. Finally after a few awkward glances at each other, he talks.

"How long have you known?" he asks, frigid.

"Around five months." I wince.

His nostrils flared, "what the fuck, Grace?"

I threw my arms up in the air, "what do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me why I had to find out about this from the entire school?" He was angry now.

I was silent. I hadn't really prepared myself for this particular moment.

He adds, "were you even gonna tell me?"

"No", I say sadly, "I wasn't going to tell you."

He raises his thick eyebrows at me, "why the fuck not? I mean first, you break up with me and date that stupid Chambers kid. Now, I gotta hear from my buds that you're knocked up!"

I roll my eyes, "you see? This is why I wasn't going to tell you! God, Richard you are so ignorant about everything!"

He shifts his weight and points at me, "I don't know what _ignorant_ means, but, what I do know is that you're getting rid of that thing."

I step away from him, frightened, "what? Like an abortion? No!"

"Yes!" he shouts at me. "I don't want a baby!"

"Then you don't have to be involved! Plus, do you know how risky it is to get an abortion this far along in a pregnancy?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "So? That's a risk I'm willing to take."

I cover my mound of a stomach, "I'm not touching this baby."

He grimaces and walks towards me, "fine. If you won't do it, then I'll do it myself."

Before I can run, Richard wraps his thick hand around my bony wrist and pulls me close to his chest.

I yelp for help but his other hand closes over my mouth. He then drags me to the side of a building and pins me to the wall.

His face looks just like Rachel's did during our library confrontation. His eyes are cold and dead. His mouth is straight and hard.

I struggle to get free as I see his hand form the shape of a fist. He pumps it back and is ready to aim for his target — my belly.

"Please." I whimper.

I close my eyes, bracing myself for impact. There is absolutely no one around and even if someone did find us, more than likely it would be too late.

As I imagine all of the horrible things that are about to ensue, I suddenly feel Richard's grip on me loosen and my stomach left untouched.

I open one eye and see Richard on the ground, the snow surrounding him covered in blood, and a dirty blonde haired boy standing on top of him.

Relief takes over my body and I run to him, "Chris…"

He's beating the living daylights out of Richard.

I grab Chris' arm and yell, "stop!"

Chris looks at me, his ocean eyes furious, and then get off of Richard.

His hair is ruffled and his clothes are both wet and red.

"If you touch her ever again, I will kill you," threatens Chris.

After a little struggle, Richard gets up, holding his nose.

He points at both me and Chris, "fuck you both."

He then runs back to his car and speeds away. Chris turns to me, his face wearing a look of concern.

"Are you okay?" he asks, panting.

I nod slightly, still in shock of what had just happened.

Chris walks over to me and puts his warm hand in mine.

"Come on, let's get you home."

The two of us walk onto the main road and towards The View.

He puts his heavy coat on my shoulders and holds me close to him.

"What the hell happened back there?" he asks frantically.

My breath becomes heavy. "I'm fine. I'm fine. No need to worry…"

But the weight of the events that had took place in the last half hour managed to all fall on top of me, knocking me over. I break down in Chris' arms, right in the middle of Castle Rock.

"I can't believe that the whole school knows about the pregnancy. By the end of the day, the whole town will know. My parents will know, and I'm going to be dead. My life is over…"

Chris strokes the back of my head and whispers in my ear, "Hey, it's going to be all right. I promise that I'm going to be right beside you, one hundred percent of the way."

I kiss his lips, our hot breath showing from the cold.

"How did you find me?" I ask erratically.

Chris replies, "Taylor found me and told me what happened. So, I went out looking for you. I'm just lucky I found you before that creep did anything to you." He looks down at my hand and kisses it. "You need a bandage."

I sigh. "Yeah, I know. I punched Rachel in the face."

He laughs. "Taylor said that you gave her a good one. I hear her nose is broken."

I tilt my head back in annoyance. "Shit. I'm going to be in so much trouble."

He rubs my shoulders. "It's going to be okay. Let's just get you home, and we can deal with this shit later."

I nod and place my head into his chest as we head in the direction of what is soon to be a war zone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice feedback is very much appreciated, of course.. :)


	11. The Truth Comes Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace finally tells her parents, and her father takes it quite well...

My whole body tingles with delight as the warm air from my home wraps around my body.

I give Chris is coat back to him and we both make our way into the house.

I look around, the house seems empty.

"I don't think anybody's home," I say a little relieved.

"Come on, let's go lie down." he says.

With his arm in mine, Chris leads the way to the living room

"Thank God, I can just relax now. I've had such a stressful day; I don't think that I could take anymore."

I speak too soon.

As soon as we enter the living room, both of my parents' faces turn to me.

They are sitting at least an arm's length away from each other, and sitting opposite a stranger.

Except, the person on the other couch isn't a stranger. It's my principal.

Mrs. Simpson turns to face me. Her fiery red hair is in a tight bun and her pale green eyes are obstructed by her small, owl like glasses.

My mother is the first one to speak with her eyebrows raised and her lips pursed. "Your principal is here because of an incident that happened today at school."

**_I am so busted. Get ready for all hell to break loose._ **

"Do you want to tell us what happened?" asks my father, his grey eyebrows furrowed together.

I look at Chris and whisper, "I think you better go home. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

He nods and kisses my cheek. He then swings his tattered brown jacket over his shoulders and turns around, leaving me to fend for myself.

I turn back to all three people who are intently staring at me, wanting and waiting for the truth.

I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. "I punched Rachel in the face and then skipped school…"

My mother shoots up, her fists clenched and her eyes wide, " **WHAT!** Grace Elizabeth Donovan, what on earth were you thinking?"

My father adds, "Grace, you know better than that."

I look down at my feet and make my way over to the chair in front of my parents and Principal Simpson.

My mother rubs her temples with her one hand. "I don't understand what has gotten into you lately young lady, but I don't like it."

Principal Simpson clears her throat, her small glasses crooked on her face. "If I may interrupt?"

My parents nod at her in unison

She continues. "Apparently, Miss Hardy has spread a very serious rumour throughout the school pertaining to your daughter."

My mother slowly turns to me, her perfect eyebrows arched, "what rumour would that be?"

Everyone falls silent. The only sound heard is that of the large grandfather clock ticking. I can feel my face grow pale. My palms become sweaty and my heart increases in speed. It's now or never, I can no longer hide.

**_Just tell them already. What's the worst they can do? There's a fucking school advisor in the room…_ **

"The thing is, it's not a rumour…"

After a moment's hesitation, I finally say it. "…I'm pregnant."

As soon as those two words are out in the open, everyone in the room reacts differently.

Principal Simpson shifts awkwardly in her seat and averts her eyes to the coffee table.

My father's big brown eyes widen, the hair on his arms stand up, and he freezes in his seat.

My mother, well, let's just say that she doesn't kill me. However, she does faint.

Her blue eyes roll to the back of her head. She makes a little grunt and falls to the floor - hard.

Instantaneously, my father jumps up and puts my mother's unconscious head on his lap. Mrs. Simpson then gets up, kneels down beside him, and begins waving her hand in front of my mother's face.

All I can do is sit there and watch in complete and utter guilt.

**_Oh my God… I killed my mom._ **

I stand up and go over to see if I can help. However, my father motions for me to leave.

"Grace, go upstairs, now!" His voice is hard and cold.

I jump back a little but do as I am told.

I race up to my room and close the door behind the drama taking place downstairs.

I rub my eyes and tiredly fall back onto my bed.

**_Well that certainly blew up in my face, didn't it?_ **

I look down at my scarred hand and stop when I notice the light pink bracelet on my wrist.

It's Rachel's friendship bracelet that she gave me when we first became friends.

I roll my eyes and rip the piece of fabric off of my skin.

**_This is all because of you!_ **

I angrily throw the now torn lie of a bracelet at my wall.

Thoughts race through my mind as I lay on my bed looking up at the smooth, white ceiling above my head.

Oh, how I wish to be that ceiling right about now…

* * *

_Knock, Knock_

Sitting up in my bed, I look at my clock. It's now six o'clock, approximately two hours after the huge debacle that took place.

My voice is horse from crying. "Come in."

The door opens slightly, my dad comes in the room and sits down on my bed beside me; his grey suit wrinkling.

His chocolate eyes examine me all over and he sits there for a while, contemplating on what to say to me.

I soon interrupt the silence and speak, "Is mom going to be all right?"

He nods, pepper coloured strands of his hair fall in his face, "She'll be all right. It took a while to calm her down, but she's fine."

I sigh. "Daddy, I am so sorry. I didn't want any of this to happen."

He shakes his head, "I just want to know, how far along are you?'

I fiddle with my thumbs, "…four months or so."

My father winces and refrains himself from yelling (which I think is quite an accomplishment on his part). "I see."

I look down, sad, "You hate me, don't you?"

My father heaves a heavy sigh and shakes his head, "Honey, no one hates you. Yes, I am disappointed, but only because you didn't come to us when you first found out."

I give him a crazy look. "Did you not just see mom's reaction? I can bet you that she would've flipped if I told her five months ago."

He closes his eyes and runs his hand across his mouth. "Well, you could have come to me. Then, when the time was right, we could've sat down with your mother and explained it to her together."

My eyes shine with hope. "You really would've helped me, huh?"

He nods solemnly. "Of course. I love you, princess."

**_God, how great is this man?_ **

He continues. "But, what I think we should do right now, is go downstairs and talk about this as a family."

I grab his arm and squeeze it. "No! I can't face her! Do you know what she's going to do to me?"

My father smiles crookedly and touches my cheek, "Don't worry. She won't do anything drastic. Even if she does, remember, you have me here with you."

I shrug and get up from my bed, my mind is fearful of what will happen as soon as I see my mother in the living room.

* * *

Her hair is a mess, her eyes narrow and her red lipstick in a straight line.

For the seventeen years that I've known my mother, not once has she looked as frazzled as she does right now. She never has a hair out of place, not a wrinkle in sight. Now, she suddenly looks like this totally different person. It's like; somehow, her frumpy doppelganger is sitting in front of me.

Her breath is deep and heavy. She looks like she is trying so hard to not come over to where I am, and beat me to a pulp.

I try to make the conversation light, "So, how was your day?"

She gives me the "Oh, really" look. "Don't you _dare_ patronize me, young lady." Her voice is cold and uninviting.

**_Definitely not a doppelganger._ **

I glance at my dad who gives me the 'apologize' look.

I turn back to my mom. "I'm sorry, mom."

"I sure as heck hope you are! Do you _know_ what will happen to this family once the whole town knows about this?"

I look down, silent.

Dad defends me. "Hon, I'm sure the whole town won't know…"

My mother looks sharply at her husband, "Tom, this is a **small** town, which means people **will** talk."

"Mom, please don't be mad," I say quietly while still looking at my feet.

"Why shouldn't I be? You disgraced not only God, but this entire family as well."

It's like a dagger just ripped through my heart. I can feel the hot tears forming in my eyes.

My father snaps at my mother, "Lillian! You need to calm down. Grace has already been through enough shit, she doesn't need you to badger her too!"

Hurt, mom sits down on the couch, crossing her legs and arms.

I look up and lightly smile a 'thanks' to my dad.

He quickly changes the subject, "so, what are we going to do about the baby?"

My mother responds without hesitation. "Adoption."

I raise my eyebrows at her. "What? Why do **you** get to decide what I do or don't do with _my_ baby?"

She glares at me. "Well, if you would like to continue living in the house, then you will give it up. Also, I'm pulling you out of public school. You're going to have a tutor at home until you give birth."

" **WHAT?** You can't just do that! What about graduation and prom?" I ask, shell-shocked.

Dad looks just as surprised. "She's right, Lillian. You can't just pull her out of school halfway through."

Mom rolls her eyes. "I know **that**. That's why I'm getting you a special tutor. They'll make sure you get your diploma."

I continue arguing. "But, I have a life at school! What about my friends and Chris?"

She stops me, "wait a minute. Who's Chris? Is he the boy that did this to you?"

I groan. "No! Richard did this to me."

Surprise fills her face. "Richard? I thought he was a nice and respectful boy."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, about as nice and respectful as a flesh eating virus."

"Then, who's Chris?" asks my dad.

I smile, "Chris Chambers? We used to be friends way back when?"

A light bulb clicks in his head. "Oh, Christopher! Yes, I remember now. Gosh, I haven't seen him in years. You're dating him?"

"Yeah, I am," I say nonchalantly.

"Wait. Is he the one whose father is the alcoholic?" mom asks.

"Yes…"

She gets up and heads for the kitchen. "Things today just keep getting better and better. You are not seeing him again."

My heart sinks and I look to my dad for some backup. "Will you please talk to her?"

My father sighs and follows my mom into the kitchen. I can hear the two arguing for a couple of minutes until finally, my father comes back into the living room.

"I'm sorry, honey." he says seriously.

"That is so unfair!" I whine, getting angry.

"We just want you to lay low for a while. You know, out of the public's eye, so people will forget."

"Dad, you're starting to sound like mom," I warn him.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt." he says soothingly.

"Dad, I'm not a little girl anymore. I can take care of myself." I say reassuringly.

"I know, but we just think that the last thing you need right now is a boyfriend."

"Well, what about my doctor's appointments? Chris used to take me to those." I argue.

"Easy. Your mother will take you." he says grinning.

"You're not serious?" I ask unamused.

He stops smiling, "I am serious."

I frown, "Well, then my answer to that is 'no'."

He sits down beside me and pats my leg. "Honey, please? Your mother is already going through a lot at the moment, and I would really appreciate it if you try and cooperate with her."

I sigh, "Fine. But, I'm not doing this for her; I'm doing it for you."

He kisses the top of my forehead, his stubble scratching my skin, "Thank you."

I continue. "On one condition…"

He winces, scared of what I'm about to say, "What?"

"That she'll at least give Chris a chance."

My mother barges into the living room, "Fine, I'll talk to him. Invite him over for dinner. Let's say around… May."

"May?" I ask puzzled. "That's three months away…"

"Or, I don't have to meet him at all and you two will never speak again," she threatens.

"Whatever." I agree bitterly. These next couple of months are not going to be easy.

My dad tries to think positively. "It could be your early eighteenth birthday dinner. You know, since your birthday is in June, of course."

I smile falsely and get up, leaving the room.

**_Happy birthday to me…_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice feedback is appreciated, of course. :)


	12. She's the Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris finally meets Grace's parents, and gets on quite well with her father, while her mother is a completely different story...

**THREE MONTHS LATER**

* * *

"He's almost here!" I say giddily as I adjust my long brown ringlets in the mirror.

The month of May couldn't have come faster. For the past three months, all I could do was sit alone, in the house, doing absolutely nothing. Well, I shouldn't say absolutely _anything_ ; I got to learn how to knit sweater vests… with my mom.

Sure, I'd get the odd visit from Chris, but they'd be only a few minutes long and I was usually donned in baggy sweats. It wasn't very visually appealing.

So, you could imagine my excitement that this dinner has finally arrived. I'm dressed in my best little red dress with matching flats. Although, I will say that the dress doesn't quite fit me right, on account of my stomach looking like a beach ball.

I swear, it's like once I hit the sixth month mark in this pregnancy, I blew up like a blow fish! I can barely sit down, let alone get around.

Oh, and my cravings have gotten worse too. I've been craving the weirdest food combinations, like bananas and ranch dressing, or hot dogs and chocolate. Don't ask me how I came up with that one.

On the Brightside, my morning sickness has completely stopped!

Anyways, like I was saying before, I'm finally able to see Chris for more than a minute today. I just hope that nothing goes wrong…

Twirling around, I check myself out in the mirror and smile.

The doorbell rings and my heart leaps into my throat.

Carefully, I skip down the stairs and stop in front of the door.

I take a deep breath in and swing the large door open.

There he is; standing in front of me and practically looking like a stranger.

He's wearing a pale grey suit, complete with polished black shoes and a long black tie. In his one hand he holds a bouquet of roses, in the other, a box of chocolates.

His scruffy hair shines in the sun and his ocean eyes sparkle with happiness.

His pink lips are pulled into his signature goofy grin, showcasing his big pearly whites.

I look him up and down a few times. My heart swells, as does my smile.

I then grab the sleeve of his jacket and pull him into me. I wrap my arms around his neck and crush my lips against his.

He pushes away, still smiling, "it feels like forever."

I sigh, "it has been forever. I've seen you like, twice, in the past three months."

"Well, happy almost eighteenth birthday." he says while handing me the flowers and chocolate.

"Thank you!" I say happily accepting the presents.

Chris puts his warm hands on my belly, "walkin' talkin' Jesus, how big is your belly?"

I slug his shoulder, "shut up! I'm seven months pregnant, what do you expect?"

He raises his hands in defence, "hey, I didn't mean to offend you. You look beautiful."

I intertwine his arm in mine and we start walking towards the living room.

"So, how's school been holding up without my much needed presence?" I jokingly say.

He shrugs, "it's been pretty boring. Rachel's the new head cheerleader and our school's new president."

I put up my hand to stop him, "please, can we have a nice evening without mentioning _her_ name?"

He nods, "done."

I smile, nod, and we continue walking. However, I stop when I feel a poke from the inside of my swollen belly.

Chris' eyebrows furrow together in concern, "what's wrong?"

I look down at my belly and softly rest my hand on top.

Just then, a small kick hits the palm of my hand. I inhale sharply.

"Grace, is everything okay?" Chris persists.

Without saying a word, I grab his hand and place it on my stomach.

After a second, his eyes light up in astonishment and a smile appears on his face.

"…Is that…is that the baby?" he asks slowly, as if unsure of what is happening inside of me.

I nod furiously.

All of these emotions have suddenly just swum up to the surface from deep in me. I feel like laughing and crying. But, most of all, I feel content.

I look to Chris, who is still smiling, and then to my belly. The image of all _three_ of us could be in a picture frame it's so perfect. Everything around me feels right and wonderful.

Suddenly, I blurt out, "I want to keep the baby."

His smile disappears and his hand leaves my stomach. He narrows his eyes at me. "What? I thought you were going to give the baby up for adoption?"

I roll my eyes, "that's what my mom wants. I will admit that, in the beginning, I wasn't sure about what to do. But now, I really want to raise this baby."

He shakes his head, "I don't know about this…"

I take his head in my hands, "Chris, I'm not the same person that I was seven months ago. I'm now a person who actually cares about things... you know, other than how well a shade of lip gloss matches an outfit."

He chuckles and nods in understanding.

I go on. " _You_ made that happen. You could have run for the hills a long time ago, but you didn't. You stood by me through all of the shit that I put you through. You make me want to be a better person. In fact, you _have_ made me a better person."

I can feel the warmth of his eyes as they stare into mine.

"I don't care what my parents say; screw them. I can do this… I know I can. " My voice is barely above a whisper.

Chris sighs and brings me as close to his chest as possible; kissing the top of my head.

"I believe in you."

I smile at him and take his hand in mine. We both then make our way towards the living room.

My father grins as he sees us enter the room. He quickly gets up from the couch, while ironing down the wrinkles in his black suit.

He comes over and extends his hand, giving Chris a firm shake.

"It's very nice to see you again Christopher. I can remember when you were just a little boy."

Chris nods. "Time sure has flown."

They both smile at each other and relief sweeps over me.

_**Thank God they like each other. Now, for my mother…** _

Just then, the door to the kitchen bursts open and my mother, in a tight, knee length purple dress, emerges.

_**Speak of the devil and she shall appear** _

She clears her throat and folds her arms while looking only at my father, "dinner is ready."

Without another word, she turns and heads for the kitchen; her black heels clapping on the marble floor.

I sigh deeply and shrug at Chris as we make our way into the dinning room.

_**This is going to be a long night…** _

* * *

"And that's when I told him…that's no test tube, that's my wife!"

I roll my eyes and pick at my chicken as my father bellows deeply at his own joke.

I look to Chris, who is pretending to laugh, and smile.

He notices and smiles back, taking hold of my hand underneath the wooden table.

So far, the night has been going pretty good. Chris and my dad have certainly gotten along; my dad's been telling his always terrible jokes while Chris "laughs". They've talked about cars and girls. I think that they're actually bonding.

My mother, on the other hand, hasn't said two words. She's just been sitting there, chewing her food the entire night. Although, I think a few times during the dinner, she's had this look like she's wanted to say something, but has stopped herself. Maybe that's a good thing.

I look to my mother, trying to get her to at least acknowledge that Chris is in the room, so I mention his intelligence, "Mom, did I tell you that Chris got accepted into the University of Oregon?"

My father chimes in, "U of O, very nice. What are you studying?"

But before Chris can speak, my mother interrupts.

"Is your father still an alcoholic?"

I drop my fork in disbelief; it clangs loudly on the glass plate.

"Mom!" I spit at her in anger.

Chris looks at me reassuringly, smiles faintly and mouths, "its okay."

He clears his throat and hesitates, unsure of how to answer her blunt question.

"Well...yes, he is, unfortunately. However, I try not to worry about it. I'll be leaving soon and won't have to deal with it anymore."

My father tries to change the subject, "so, what will you be studying at the University?"

However, my mother, still unconvinced, pursues the matter, "but, if he's 'in the condition that he's in', how are you going to be able to pay for college?"

I glare at her and grit my teeth together. Why does she have to be such a shit starter?

"I have a job and over the years I've saved up enough money to get by. I've also been awarded some scholarships from the University itself to help pay for my education."

She raises her eyebrows and sucks her teeth. She was far from done yet.

"And your brothers…" she starts.

I sigh and my face becomes red with embarrassment.

I look at Chris whose face looks exactly like mine. His right fist is clenched into a ball, trying not to get worked up. My mom has hit a nerve and she knows it.

Chris' oldest brother, Charlie, who's in his late twenties, has been in prison for the past couple of years. He'd been charged with raping a teenage girl while he was drunk.

Eyeball, who's in his early twenties, is part of the local gang The Cobras. He does what typical gang people do; steal stuff, threaten people and be an all around jerk.

Both of his brothers are horrible people, Chris is nothing like them.

I speak up, hoping that she'll shut up, "mom, stop it."

Chris puts his hand up to stop me. He swallows hard, his Adam's apple bobbing down then up.

"I know both of my brother's have delved into certain activities in the past. However, I try not to associate myself with them."

I hold my breath in, staring intently at her, waiting for any kind of a response.

After about a minute she claps her hands together and pushes out her chair. She stands up and begins grabbing empty plates.

"I'll be in out in a minute with dessert." She says coldly.

As soon as she leaves, I push my chair back and struggle to get up.

I turn to my father and Chris who are now silent at the table, "I'll be right back."

My dad gives me a warning look, "honey, don't start anything…"

"I'm not, I promise." I lie.

I then angrily waddle my way to the kitchen.

I push open the door and see my mother standing at the counter, slowly cutting a large chocolate cake into pieces.

"What do you think you're doing?" I confront her.

She looks at me, her eyes filled with innocence, "what do you mean?"

I roll my eyes at her act, "I'm not stupid. Why are you treating Chris like this?"

"I was just curious about his home life."

"No, you weren't, you just wanted to piss me off, and guess what? It worked."

She drops the knife in her hand and glares at me, "one, don't you dare use that kind of language with me young lady. Two, I was merely trying to get to know him, like you asked."

I groan in frustration, "yes, I did ask you to get to know him. But, I wanted you to be nice about it. You're jumping down his throat by berating him with personal, uncomfortable questions."

I sigh, "you're not even giving him a chance…"

She chuckles and shrugs, "why should I? He's just another bump in the road for you. Honey, right now, your body is releasing and storing all of these hormones that you can't control. Trust me, once you've given birth, you'll realize that you don't have any feelings for this boy."

My eyes widen. How could she possibly know how I feel about him, "what are you getting at?"

"Oh come on Grace, he's a detriment to society! Sure, he's smart and ambitious now, but before you know it, he's going to be just like his father and his brothers. He always was and he'll always be a low life Chambers kid. I'm merely helping you see this before a big mistake blows up in your face."

I bite my lip, trying hard not to let the tears flow from my eyes, "so basically, the only reason you even had this dinner was to convince me to break up with him."

She purses her lips together and sighs, "yes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have dessert to hand out."

Nonchalantly, she brushes past me, leaving my dazed body standing motionless in the kitchen.

_**How could she do that to me? Her own daughter for God's sake! I mean, Chris would never be like his father or older brothers. She knows nothing about him!** _

I clench my fists together, turn and exit through the kitchen door, unable to fathom the fact that my mother can be so manipulative.

_**She really is the devil!** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice feedback is very much appreciated, of course. :)


	13. Things Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace gives her mother a good telling-off, and then finally decides to tell her parents about the secret her father has been keeping from her mother all this time...

"Grace…" a voice comes from behind me.

I jump in panic and turn to see Chris right behind me.

"You scared me…" my voice is shaky.

He looks at me sullenly. His face is twisted into a pained expression. His lips are pulled into a frown and his eyes are narrowed. It looks like someone has punched him in the gut.

That's when I realize it. He has heard everything.

I fiddle my thumbs and look to the ground. "You heard all of that?"

"Yeah…" he says hoarsely.

I begin to explain, "Don't listen to my mother…"

He stops me. "You know what? It's getting pretty late and I should go home."

I shake my head and try to grab his arm; however, he escapes my grip and bolts for the door.

I manage to run after him, the extra weight carrying me down, and stop him.

I grab his face and bring it close to mine, "Listen to me, Chris. What she said back there meant nothing!"

His ocean blue eyes look deep into mine, hurt filling the rims of them, "Then how come you didn't say or do anything to defend me."

I look away, my heart pumping in my throat, "I couldn't. I can never win with her; no one can."

He grabs my hands and pulls them away from his face, "God, Grace! When are you finally going to stand up to that bitch and tell her how you feel? You're not even going to tell her about how you want to keep the baby, are you?"

I close my eyes and rub the temples of my head with my right hand.

Chris chuckles in amusement. "Right... that's what I thought. Do you even know what you want?"

I look up at him sharply, "I want you."

"But what about the baby?" he asks.

Again, I'm silent.

"Just a couple of hours ago, you told me that you wanted to keep it and now, you don't know?"

I plead, trying to change the subject, "can we just please go inside and talk about this later?"

He looks at the ground, kicking a rock with his foot, "…I think we need to take a break."

My heart stopped and my head became fuzzy with confusion.

Not exactly comprehending was he's saying I ask, "a break from what?"

He looks at me seriously, "a break from us…"

My stomach lurches into my chest. That phrase, 'a break from us', is like hot oil pouring onto my skin. I feel sick to my stomach. I want to plug my ears and scream. I would do anything just to keep him from saying those horrible words ever again.

After a minute of silence I speak, my voice barely audible, "why?"

"You don't need me in your life right now. In a way your mom is right, I'm bad for you. You have so much going on that I'll only make things worse. I just think that you need to be alone and figure out what you want to do with the baby, and yourself."

The twilight sky is beginning to fade into a light shade of dark. A cool breeze slithers up my spine, causing my whole body to start shaking.

Chris notices this and points to the house, "you should go inside. I'll leave. See you later."

He turns around and slowly heads down the long driveway.

As he makes it to the end, I manage to choke out, "Chris…"

He stops and looks back.

"What about sticking with me to the end? You promised."

He shakes his head, "things change…"

He then turns back around and fades into the distance.

I stand there in the moonlight sobbing, "…please don't leave me…"

My whole body feels numb. I just want to go far away and never have to feel anything ever again.

Once inside, I begin walking up the stairs to my room. However, I'm stopped when my parents see me.

Concern rushes over my dad's face as he notices my fragile state, "what's wrong? Where's Christopher?"

"He's gone." I say impassively.

"Why'd he leave? Did you two have a fight?" he asks.

I nod, my lips quivering with sadness. "We broke up."

His eyebrows furrow together. "What?"

I look to my mother; she's scoffing behind my father's tall figure.

My whole body tenses with rage, and my eyes narrow in her direction.

"This is your fault." I say, pointing at her.

She places her hand on her chest. "Me? How is this _my_ fault?"

I step back down the stairs and make my way towards her. "He heard everything that you said. You made him break up with me. You are a terrible, terrible person. I hate you."

Her eyes widen as does her stance. "Excuse me, young lady?"

"You heard me; you are a horrible human being. You wear that cross on your neck and act like you're a good Christian, when in reality, you're a complete fake."

My dad comes between us. "Whoa! Let's all just calm down."

I look at my dad, stunned at how he can defend her. "Don't you see? I love Chris and he loves me. She destroyed that."

My mother looks away and inhales deeply, acting as though none of what I say affects her.

She looks at me, her eyes thick with distain. "You don't know what love is…"

I roll my eyes and tilt my head back while laughing. "Oh, and you do?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asks baffled.

_**I'm so sorry, daddy.** _

"Do you even know what dad does when he 'works late'?" I ask folding my arms across my chest.

My dad tilts his head at me; like I know something I shouldn't.

My mother looks back and forth between my father and me until she shouts, "what is going on?"

I look at him, "do you want to tell her or should I?"

He shrugs, "I don't know what you're talking about…"

I shake my head at him in disappointment and bluntly say, "dad has been cheating on you."

Her small mouth gapes open in shock. Her face colours red with fury and she turns to my father, shaking.

"What is she talking about?"

"Just tell her the truth, for once," I say hopelessly.

My father sighs and runs his stubby fingers through his hair. "I can explain…"

My mother stops him and snaps her head back at me, "You - I want you and your little mistake to go upstairs and stay there."

"Fine," I say. "But just so you know, I'm keeping the baby…"

 **"NOW!"** she shouts and I do as I'm told, while leaving my father to deal with her abusive comments.

I quickly make my way up to my room and find my pink leather suitcase. I start throwing all of the clothes that I can find into it, while the tears I have been holding in for the past half hour stream down my face.

_**I can't be here anymore. I don't want to be here anymore. I have to find Chris. I have to talk to him. He's the only one who will understand…** _

As soon as my suitcase is packed to the top, I lift it off of my bed, and, slowly but quietly, make my down the stairs.

I stop in front of the large, white doors, staring at the golden doorknobs. In the background, I can hear my parents bickering loudly, as well as my mom throwing things.

I know that as soon as I turn those knobs and leave, I can't come back. My mom won't want me back. And my dad? Well, now that I've ratted on him, he certainly won't want me back, either.

I look down to my stomach. "We're on our own, kid."

I sigh and step forward, placing the cold doorknob in my hand. I turn it slowly and push it open.

The cold chill of the night engulfs my body as I step outside.

I begin walking down the winding driveway, hoping that my parents don't notice my absence.

I make my way through town while trudging along the cold, leathery suitcase, and soon enough, I am only a couple of blocks from Chris' house.

"Grace?" a voice shouts from across the street.

I squint to see who is calling my name and as the figure emerges from the darkness, I see that it is Chris.

He's changed out of his suit and into a white t-shirt and faded jeans. He has his brown tattered jacket on and his hair is a perfect mess.

He runs up to me, his breath showing from the cold, "What are you doing here?"

I stammer, my whole body shivering, "I-I r-ran away f-from home."

His eyes widen and he looks me up and down, noticing my exposed body.

"You look freezing," he says as he takes off his jacket and places it over my shoulders. I look into his eyes and immediately feel warmness overlap the cold; I smile.

"I know what I want to do with me and the baby. I'm going to keep."

He sighs and shakes his head in disagreement. Not really the response that I was hoping for.

"You have to go home," he says seriously.

I look at him surprised, hoping that he would understand. He, out of all people is supposed to understand.

"Don't you realize? We can move in together and raise this child. We can be a family. We don't need anyone. Not my parents, not your father. Just us."

Grabbing both of my arms and pulling me close, he groans. "Listen to me, Grace. It's cold and dark out. Stuff happened tonight, and you're not thinking straight. You need to go home and sort things out with your family before you come to me."

I sniffle and blink the tears back. "Why are you doing this? Don't you love me?"

Frustrated, he lets go of me and begins making his way across the street.

I put down my suitcase and start after him, "Chris, wait!"

He turn around and blocks me in the middle of the road, "Grace please go ho-"

However, he stops in mid-sentence and a look of terror comes over his face. He isn't looking at me; he's looking at something behind me.

He screams, "Grace, look out!"

I whirl around and stand there, in the middle of the road looking dumbfounded. Bright headlights are blinding my eyes, I can hear tires screeching, and people screaming in panic as the object inches closer and closer to my body.

I close my eyes and brace for impact.

That's when I fall into a pit of darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice feedback is very much appreciated, of course. :)


End file.
